In a shocking incident, a young woman was reportedly assaulted and gang-raped by two armed men in one of the city’s most popular recreational areas on Thursday night.
According to the FIR registered by the victim at Margalla police station, the incident took place on February 2 at Fatima Jinnah Park, commonly known as F-9 Park. The woman was on a walk with her male companion when they were suddenly attacked by two armed assailants.
They separated the woman, a resident of Mian Channun, from her friend and took her into the forested area of the park at gunpoint where she was allegedly raped by them. The gunmen assaulted her upon resistance, according to the complainant.
Victim statement: As per the victim’s statement, the criminals returned all the things belonging to her and the male friend after the attack and even offered them Rs1,000 to remain quiet about the incident. The alleged rapists told the victim that she should not have been in the park this late, according to the FIR.
Police Investigation: In the meantime, a special unit of the police started investigating the incident and the perpetrators are being traced through CCTV footage. Security officials are also interrogating park administration and guards to find the offenders.
“Special Unit Against Gender Violence is investigating the matter under the leadership of City Police Officer Sohail Zafar Chattha”, Islamabad Capital Police said in a tweet, on Saturday night.
“Evidence is being collected based on the cameras and intelligence [details]. Soon, the suspects would be arrested and reach their end,” noted the statement.
While the legal proceedings are underway, the victim went through a medical examination at PIMS hospital, which showed marks of assault on her body. The samples taken from the victim have been sent to the forensics.
Citizens horrified
The reports of the terrible crime in the city’s largest park horrified citizens of Islamabad and sparked widespread anger and disgust on social media, with many calling for swift justice for the victim.
Women also organized a protest outside the park to demand security and to make cities and public spaces safe for women.
Police issues a sketch of one of the suspects
In a recent development made on Sunday, the Islamabad police issued a sketch of one of the suspects involved in the rape of the woman.
According to police spokesman Jawad Taqi, the sketch has been made with the help of the details provided by the victim and it would be matched with the CCTV footage of the park premises.
The suspect was five feet and 10 inches tall while his age was around 35 years and he had a dusky complexion, as per the details mentioned in the sketch profile.
In a social media post, the police also requested citizens to not to go into dark areas of the park after sundown.