LAHORE: The Defence-C police have arrested two constables and lodged a criminal case against them for illegally detaining and sexually harassing a young working girl.

The incident took place at Defence Housing Authority (DHA) where police constables Irfan Arif and Amir Maqsood stopped the girl (N), detained her for five hours or so, attempted to rape her and then “released” her late in the night.

In the FIR, the girl alleged that she was going back to her home after completing her job at a department store around 7pm. She said she worked there along with her sister to earn livelihood as their father was suffering from an illness.

The girl said her colleague Asif Ali used to drop her home by his bike daily. On the day of incident, she said, the constables stopped the bike and grilled her colleague Asif as to why he was taking a ‘stranger girl’ in the evening.

“I stepped up immediately to rescue my colleague and apprised the police officials that he drops me at my house,” she stated in the FIR. She said the constables turned offensive and harassed Asif in the name of ‘interrogation’ and threatened him with involving him in a fake criminal case.

They later asked Asif to let her go with them for two hours at some place for investigation or pay them Rs10,000 bribe if he wanted to take her back, she said. The girl added that her colleague was unable to pay the desired amount.

Irfan Arif took her to a deserted place where he attempted to sexually abuse her, she said.

“I strongly resisted his nefarious attempt and raised an alarm”, she said, adding that the other police official later asked Asif to call his relatives to bring money to ‘secure safe release’. Asif’s close relative Zohaib reached the site, paid Rs2,000 to the policemen who later disappeared, she alleged in the FIR.

As the incident came to the limelight, the IGP took notice and directed the Lahore police senior officers to investigate it and take action in the light of the inquiry report. Police arrested both the constables and registered a case against them.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2022