Police recovered a woman who was abducted nine years ago and arrested her suspected kidnappers in the Lodhran district of Punjab, the district’s Crime Control Department (CCD) said on Monday.

In a statement, the CCD elaborated that the police conducted an operation and recovered the woman in the Mani Yazman area, while also arresting four men allegedly involved in the kidnapping.

The statement added that a case was registered against them and the suspects were wanted by the Saddar Dunyapur police.

“The accused were absconding for nine years and the recovery of the kidnapped woman was a challenge,” the police spokesperson said in the statement.

The spokesperson added that the suspects were arrested after stringent efforts of the IT team and the Dunyapur Circle police team. The suspects were included in the list of top 100 declared fugitives.

“The police are not negligent in their duties and are determined to ensure the safety of the public, the statement quoted the CCD director of operations as saying.

The statement concluded that action will continue against criminal elements and proclaimed offenders.

Meanwhile, Lodhran CCD Public Relations Officer Adnan Tahir, describing the motive behind the kidnapping, told Dawn.com: “The suspect wanted to marry the victim but her family had married her off to someone else.”

He added that the suspect, along with his accomplices, kidnapped the woman from her husband’s house.

“Following the incident, a kidnapping case was registered against them,” Tahir said.

In March, police arrested two youths for kidnapping and gang-raping a 14-year-old girl in Punjab’s Bahawalpur district.

According to a recent report by the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO), each day in Pakistan in 2024 brought with it an average of 67 kidnappings, 19 rapes, six domestic violence cases and two honour killings, with conviction rates hovering at an appalling 0.5 per cent for honour killings and rape, 0.1pc for kidnapping, and a mere 1.3pc for domestic violence.

Per the report, the highest number of rape cases against women, totalling 532, were reported in Lahore but only two perpetrators were convicted. The situation was also alarming in Faisalabad, Kasur, and other districts. The highest number of cases of kidnapping of women were also reported in Lahore, with 4,510 cases, but only five perpetrators were convicted.

It further noted that Gujranwala topped the list of domestic violence cases, but no punishment was given in any of the cases.