KARACHI: Pakistan has freed 20 Indian fishermen who spent four years in prison in the port city of Karachi for violating the country’s territorial waters, an official said Sunday.
Arshad Shah, a prison official, said the group left the Karachi central prison and boarded a bus for the eastern city of Lahore. Shah said they would be handed over to Indian authorities at Wahgah border crossing. Shah said 588 more inmates were in the prison awaiting completion of legal formalities.
Both India and Pakistan periodically arrest each other’s fishermen for allegedly crossing the water frontiers in search of better catch. But both sides every year release some inmates after authorities negotiate and fulfill legal formalities.
The two nuclear armed south Asian neighbors, who gained independence from British colonial rule in 1947, are archrivals mainly because of disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. The region is divided between them but both claim it in its entirety.
The two sides have strained relations since India unilaterally abolished the autonomous status of its part of Kashmir in August 2019.
Pakistan frees Indian fishermen who violated territorial waters
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Pakistan frees Indian fishermen who violated territorial waters
- 20 Indian fishermen left Karachi central prison to be handed over to Indian authorities at Wahgah border crossing
- Both India and Pakistan periodically arrest each other’s fishermen for crossing water frontiers in search of better catch
Suspect accused by police of abusing ‘over 100 children’ arrested in Karachi
- Police link seven registered cases over five years to the suspect through forensic review
- CCTV and geo-fencing helped trace prime suspect and his accomplice, leading to arrests
ISLAMABAD: Karachi police said on Saturday they arrested a suspect accused of sexually abusing “over 100 children,” describing the case as a major breakthrough in a long-running investigation, while official records examined so far document seven registered cases linked to the accused.
In a statement issued on Friday, the office of the Additional Inspector General of Police (IGP) Karachi said the arrest of the suspect and his accomplice was a significant achievement, praising the police for taking action after identifying a pattern across multiple cases reported over several years.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Investigation for Karachi’s East district, Muhammad Usman Sadozai, said police began connecting the cases after receiving a letter from a DNA laboratory detailing seven cases of sexual abuse involving minor boys reported between 2020 and 2025, all allegedly linked to the same perpetrator.
“When we examined the letter further, a clear pattern emerged across all seven cases,” Sadozai told Arab News over the phone, adding that the incidents occurred between 6 p.m. and midnight, mostly on weekends, and involved children being lured to the banks of the Malir River.
Police said CCTV footage and geo-fencing were used to trace the movements of the prime suspect and his accomplice, leading to their arrest. Three of the affected children have identified the suspects, according to investigators.
The victims are aged between 10 and 14, Sadozai said.
While the Additional IGP’s office described the suspect as being involved in the abuse of over 100 children, police records reviewed so far show that seven first information reports (FIRs) have been registered over the past five years at police stations including Sharafi Goth, Zaman Town, Qur’angi Industrial Area, Mehmoodabad and Defense.
All the FIRs invoke Section 377 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deals with “unnatural offenses,” according to an order dated Jan. 6 establishing a special investigation team. Some cases also include additional charges such as kidnapping, criminal intimidation, bodily injury and attempted commission of an offense, reflecting varying levels of severity.
The Additional IGP said the protection of children was a top priority and vowed that those involved in such crimes would face the strictest punishment under the law, announcing commendation certificates and cash rewards for the police team involved.
