KARACHI: Civil society activists, residents and family members of a gang-rape victim on Monday held a protest demonstration in Gulshan-i-Hadeed and blocked the main National Highway for vehicular traffic.

Witnesses said protesters staged a sit-in on both the tracks of the highway causing suspension of vehicular traffic.

However, police reached the scene and held negotiations with the protesters that led to resumption of traffic on the highway, said Steel Town SHO Mumtaz Marwat.

No untoward incident was reported, he said, adding that the relatives complained that the investigating officer was not taking the case seriously and demanded his transfer.

The SHO said that the DIG-East had taken notice of the incident and formed a high-level investigation team comprising Malir SSP Irfan Bahadur, SSP-Investigation and other officers.

He said that four suspects had so far been taken into custody for interrogation.

He said that the girl was allegedly kidnapped from Gulshan-i-Hadeed on Feb 9. She was raped and later thrown by the kidnappers in Defence on Feb 10.

The victim’s family lodged an FIR on Feb 11 and the police arrested the suspects nominated in the case.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2021