A case of crime against a minor in a mosque recently came to light from Pakistan’s Muzaffargarh where a 13-year-old boy was raped inside a mosque located in Kot Addus City’s Sanawan Bukhi Chowk. The incident came to light when the cleric caught the accused (28 years old) raping the minor victim. However, the accused man fled the mosque. He threatened the cleric to face dire consequences if he told anyone about the crime. Following a massive outrage, the police arrested the accused and Pakistan’s National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) confirmed his arrest on Thursday (4th April 2024).
As per reports, the victim was learning the Quran inside the mosque when the crime took place. Both the accused man and the victim boy were observing Aitkaf when the former raped the minor boy. Notably, ‘Itikaf’ is a ritual that Muslims observe during the month of Ramadan. In this ritual, they isolate themselves from the world for a certain period inside a mosque to dedicate their time to the worship of Allah.
Following the incident, the boy was shifted to hospital for medical examination.
On Thursday (4th April), Muzaffargarh police spokesperson Waseem Gopang confirmed the arrest. The spokesperson said the suspect had initially fled but was later arrested by a police team “with the help of modern technology”.
Gopang stated, “The suspect is accused of raping a minor boy who was observing Aitkaf.”
Taking to X, the Punjab Police of Pakistani province, also confirmed the arrest adding that the accused will be punished according to his crime.”
مظفرگڑھ پولیس نے کوٹ ادو میں کم عمر بچے کے ساتھ زیادتی کے مرتکب ملزم کو گرفتار کر لیا، تفتیش کا آغاز کر دیا گیا، ملزم کو اپنے جرم کی قرار واقعی سزا دلوائی جائے گی۔@MuzaffargarhP pic.twitter.com/M7vyLbfrKM
— Punjab Police Official (@OfficialDPRPP) April 4, 2024
Pakistan’s NCRC also shared a report on the case in a post on Facebook stating, “Taking cognisance of the case, NCRC followed up with the district police office Muzaffargarh and it has been informed that the culprit has been arrested.”
According to Pakistani outlet Dawn, the FIR was registered on the complaint of the victim’s father under section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). According to the FIR, the imam called the father on his phone at around 2:30 pm. After great insistence, the child told him that when he went to the washroom, the suspect also came there and sexually assaulted him, the FIR noted.
It further stated that the suspect “threatened to kill” the boy if he told anyone about the incident. According to the victim’s father, when they contacted the suspect, he started threatening him and the witnesses as well.
Furthermore, the Chief Minister of Pakistan’s Punjab Province, Maryam Nawaz also took notice of the incident. She said that the accused involved in the crime should be given exemplary punishment.
