Pakistani man lets friends rape wife after losing Ludo game

Police in Pakistan’s largest province Punjab are investigating allegations that a man allowed his friends to rape his wife after losing a gamble over a Ludo game.

The woman's father filed a complaint at a local police station in Vehari on February 21, accusing his son-in-law of facilitating the crime in their village.

"He used to torture my daughter daily and brought his friends home every night to gamble," the father told Nukta. "One night, he lost the bet and, to repay it, let one of his friends rape my daughter while the others guarded the house."

The father said he took his daughter to a hospital the next morning and registered a case against the accused. He also stated that the suspects had obtained interim bail from a local court until February 28 and remained at large.

The complainant, a small-scale farmer with six children, said he had married his daughter to a relative in 2022, and the couple has a son. He now plans to travel 40 km to the district courts to hire a lawyer.

A police investigator told Nukta that both parties had filed multiple cases against each other in the past, including disputes over agricultural land. He also said the accused husband denies gambling.

"We have registered the FIR based on the father's complaint," the officer said. "Initial medical reports confirm intercourse, but we are still investigating whether it involved her husband or his friend, as alleged."

Samples from the crime scene have been sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency, and DNA testing is pending. The officer noted the forensic process could take up to 40 days.

Syed Kausar Kazmi, spokesperson for the Punjab government, told Nukta that the allegation of rape by the victim’s husband’s friend is true, but there is no evidence to support the gambling claim. He added that three accused, including the victim’s husband, are on interim bail until February 28.