Second Pakistan gang-rape suspect killed in police encounter amid corruption probe
Hafizabad case sees police officers face corruption charges for allegedly taking bribes to delay investigation
Laiba Zainab
Correspondent
Laiba Zainab is an award-winning journalist with nearly a decade of experience in digital media. She has received the DW & CEJ-IBA Data Journalism Award and the top digital media prize at the National Media Fellowship. At NUKTA, she covers underreported stories on health, crime, and social justice.
The reported gang rape of a woman near Pakistan's northeastern city of Lahore has sparked widespread condemnation.
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Laique shot during patrol, allegedly killed by friendly fire from accomplices
Two officers accused of accepting 140,000 rupees in bribes to delay investigation
May 25 assault involved couple abducted at gunpoint near sugar mill
A second key suspect in Pakistan's Hafizabad gang-rape case was killed Friday in what police described as a "police encounter" near Kot Nanke, one day after another suspect died under similar circumstances.
Laique was fatally shot during what authorities called a routine police patrol when suspects allegedly opened fire first. Police said Laique was killed by friendly fire from his own accomplices during the exchange.
The death follows Thursday's killing of suspect Khawar in a separate police shootout near Nala Saym Ronda. Both men were among eight suspects accused of gang-raping a woman in front of her husband on May 25.
According to police, Laique was traveling with two associates when the shootout occurred. His body was transferred to a morgue for autopsy. Six suspects now remain at large in the case, including four who have not been identified.
Police corruption allegations surface
New revelations have emerged about alleged misconduct within the police investigation. A first information report (FIR) filed June 5 under Section 155C of the Police Order 2002 accuses Inspector Legal Muneeb Liaqat and Assistant Sub-Inspector Kashif Mehmood of corruption.
The corruption charges include:
- Failing to take timely action on the original gang-rape case
- Accepting bribes totaling 140,000 Pakistani rupees to delay the investigation
- Facilitating the escape of key suspects
The FIR also alleges that Inspector Muneeb Liaquat is related to suspect Ikram Mangat, suggesting possible collusion to protect the accused.
Senior police officials have ordered departmental proceedings against the implicated officers.
Original assault draws outrage
The brutal assault occurred May 25 in Hafizabad's Mangat Uncha area when a couple traveling by motorcycle was allegedly abducted at gunpoint near a sugar mill. The attackers took the victims to a nearby graveyard, where the woman was raped while her husband was restrained and forced to watch.
According to the FIR filed June 2, the suspects also forced the couple to perform acts under duress while filming the assault. The victims initially remained silent due to fear and social stigma, only coming forward after video footage began circulating on social media.
Second shootout in two days
Thursday's killing of suspect Khawar occurred during a raid on an under-construction building where police said he and three accomplices were hiding. Officers recovered an assault rifle, ammunition, a mobile phone and cash from the scene.
Posthumous charges were filed against Khawar including attempted murder of police officers and illegal weapons possession. The three other suspects fled during the operation.
The case has drawn comparisons to previous high-profile sexual assault cases in Pakistan, including a 2021 incident where a Pakistani-French woman was raped on a motorway near Lahore. Two men were sentenced to death in that case.
Rights groups continue to call for stronger legal protections and improved enforcement mechanisms to address Pakistan's high rates of gender-based violence.
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