Three gang-rape suspects killed in alleged CCD encounter in Lahore

LAHORE: Three suspects allegedly involved in the gang rape of a newly married woman in front of her husband in Lahore’s Chuhng area were killed in an alleged police encounter with the Crime Control Department (CCD).

Police said a search operation is underway to arrest the last suspect.

The CCD, a special unit of the Punjab Police established on February 26, 2025, under the directive of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, is tasked with combating serious and organized crime across the province.

According to a CCD spokesperson, the four suspects had abducted and repeatedly assaulted a newly married woman in front of her husband. The attackers also stripped and beat the husband, and recorded video footage of the crime before fleeing the scene.

Police conducted raids on two different locations to arrest the suspects, and CCD personnel came under fire from the suspects.

During the exchange of gunfire, three suspects, Owais, Irshad and Zahid were killed reportedly by fire from their own accomplices. A fourth suspect managed to escape under the cover of darkness. Police have launched a manhunt to track him down.

The bodies were shifted to the city morgue for postmortem examination. Police sources revealed that the killed suspects had prior criminal records and were known for committing sexual assaults during robberies.

“The protection of women and children is a red line,” said a police official, reaffirming Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s zero-tolerance policy towards sexual violence. “Such heinous crimes will be met with swift and uncompromising action.”