ISLAMABAD: The main suspect accused of raping a woman at gunpoint at one of the capital city’s popular hiking trails has been arrested and is being investigated, Islamabad Police confirmed on Monday, adding that the complainant’s initial medical report showed no signs she had been raped.
Concerns about the safety of women in the capital city were raised last week when a woman filed a complaint against a man, Nauman, accusing him of raping her at a hiking trail on Thursday. According to the initial police report, the complainant, a resident of Punjab’s Sheikhupura city, told investigators she had been looking for a job when the suspect lured her into a trap by offering her a position in the education department and raped her on gunpoint in the forest on the hiking trail.
“The main accused has been arrested and is currently in police custody on a four-day remand, as the investigation is underway,” Taqi Jawad, an Islamabad police spokesperson, told Arab News.
Jawad added that details with media would be shared once the investigations are concluded and a proper conclusion can be derived.
“The initial medical report of the complainant has not shown any signs of rape, and we are awaiting the results of the detailed forensic report from the Punjab Forensic Science Laboratory,” he added.
Jawad said the investigation has so far revealed that the suspect and the complainant were friends and had been in contact with each other for some time, adding that the suspect was not cooperating with the investigation.
The alleged incident was reported months after a woman was raped in Islamabad’s largest park, triggering protests and widespread condemnation from politicians, rights activists and the civil society.
Islamabad Police later claimed to have shot and killed the two suspects involved in the rape during a shootout.
