Minor allegedly gang-raped in flood relief camp

A minor girl was allegedly gang-raped at a camp established to house the flood affectees in Karachi’s Clifton area, police confirmed on Monday.

Sources within the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), where the child is reportedly receiving treatment, said that the gruesome incident took place in Clifton block 4 two days ago. They said that the victim is around 8-9 years old.

The police surgeon’s office at the JPMC said that gang rape has been confirmed after a complete medical examination of the victim.

It said that the victim was staying at the camp where the incident took place.

Following the horrific incident, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali took serious notice of the case and directed the police to arrest the culprits. He has also ordered the authorities concerned to take the remaining family members of the girl in protective care.

“This is totally unacceptable and cannot be forgiven, therefore, I want the culprits behind the bars immediately,” he told Additional Inspector-General Karachi Javed Odho on the telephone.

The additional IG Karachi told the chief minister that the 10-year-girl and her six younger brothers and sisters were living with her mother in the vicinity of the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi. Originally, the family belongs to the Shikarpur district.

On Sunday night, two boys at around 11am forcibly took her in their car and raped her, and then left her in the same vicinity at around 2.30pm. When her mother noticed her daughter’s plight, she rushed to the JPMC where she was still under treatment.

The matter came to the knowledge of the SSP South who registered a first information report (FIR) at the Boat Basin Police station and started an investigation into the matter, the CM was told.

The additional IG Karachi has constituted a police party to arrest the culprits and bring them to book.

The chief minister directed Adl IG Karachi to check the area’s CCTV footage, identify their vehicle, and persons, and arrest them. He also directed him to identify the culprits through DNA sampling.

Meanwhile, the chief minister directed the Minister of Women Development Department Shahla Raza to take the entire family into protective care. The family has been kept at a women’s police station.