Motorway gang-rape case: 'Suspects including Abid Ali identified by victim'

LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan confirmed on Thursday that the victim woman identified both suspects including Abid Ali in Lahore’s motorway gang-rape case, ARY News reported.

Fayyazul Hassan Chohan said that the victim also assured cooperation with the authorities for further investigation in the gang-rape case. He said that investigation into the gang-rape is almost concluded, however, one of the prime suspects is still at large. He also confirmed that wives, father and other close relatives of the suspects are taken into custody.

The information minister revealed that the investigators have managed to trace prime suspects including Abbas, Mistri Bala and Shafqat through Waqarul Hassan whose location was given by his neighbours for the greed of Rs25,000. The authorities had earlier tracked Waqarul Hassan by geofencing and later he surrendered before the police.

Read: Police arrest five relatives of prime suspect Abid in motorway rape case

He further said that Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore Umar Sheikh tendered an apology for his wrong statement. On the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif had ashamed the nationals by giving a controversial statement. However, the PML-N president did not tender his apology on the floor of the House.

Earlier in the day, Lahore police recorded the initial statement of the wife of prime suspect Abid Ali, in motorway gang-rape case. Abid is still at large on the ninth day of the incident.

The prime suspect in Lahore’s motorway gang-rape case had been identified as 27-year-old Abid Ali s/o Akbar Ali whose DNA sample was matched with evidence collected from the victim who had been sexually assaulted in front of her children last week on Lahore-Sialkot road.