LAHORE: Lahore police have arrested a man accused of assaulting a woman riding a scooter on the busy Mozang Link Road, in an incident caught on CCTV that sparked outrage on social media, officials said.
The suspect, identified by police as Ghulam Mustafa, a resident of Chiniot district, allegedly blocked the woman’s way with his motorcycle on the evening of October 20, knocking her off her scooter before attacking her in public.
According to the first information report registered at Mozang Police Station on the complaint of the victim’s father, the woman was travelling on her scooter at around 4:45pm when the motorcyclist overtook her, struck her scooter and forced her to stop. He then allegedly pushed her to the ground, slapped her several times, pulled her hair and verbally abused her, as reported by Dunya News and The News.
The assault left the woman with facial injuries, including damage to her nose. The suspect also snatched her bag and threw it to the ground, damaging a laptop valued at about Rs85,000, and allegedly attempted to take her mobile phone and laptop before fleeing when bystanders gathered after hearing her cries for help.
Mozang police reached the scene after receiving an emergency call on the Police Emergency Helpline 15. A case was initially registered against an unidentified suspect, and a special team was formed under the supervision of Civil Lines Superintendent of Police Maniza Karamat, which traced and arrested the accused with the help of modern technology.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari confirmed the arrest in a statement, saying Lahore police had picked up the suspect the same night. She said women and children were a “red line” for Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and that such behaviour would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
DIG Operations Faisal Kamran said legal action would be taken without discrimination against those who harass or assault women in public places, vowing that those involved in violence against women would face the law.
The suspect has been handed over to the investigation wing, and police say further investigation is underway to determine whether he had been involved in similar incidents before.
The arrest marks another swift police response in Punjab this month — earlier, the Faisalabad regional police chief dismissed a sub-inspector for illegally detaining an innocent rickshaw driver for seven days, a move that drew public attention to police accountability (see: https://nishandahimedia.com/faisalabad-rpo-dismisses-sub-inspector-for-illegally-detaining-rickshaw-driver-for-seven-days/ ).
Watch the related Nishandahi Media video post here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1843326346821854
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