LAHORE: Waqar-ul-Hassan, one of the two key suspects identified by the Punjab police in the motorway gang-rape incident, surrendered to the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Lahore on Sunday and denied his involvement in the brutal crime.
Model Town CIA Deputy Superintendent of Police Hasnain Haider while speaking to the media confirmed the surrender of Waqar-ul-Hassan saying the co-accused in the motorway gang-rape incident voluntarily appeared before the investigators. However, he added, the prime suspect, identified as Abid Ali Malhi was still at large and raids were being conducted for his early arrest.
DSP said Hassan has been taken into custody and further interrogation is under way.
Earlier in the day, the DSP along with his team conducted a raid in Sheikhupura to arrest Hassan but remained unable to catch him. Police officials said when they started questioning the people about the whereabouts of Hassan, they met with his relatives and friends who assured them that he will surrender soon.
Sources familiar with the development told Business Recorder that the co-accused in his statement before the investigators denied his involvement in the gang-rape and pleaded innocent. Waqar, who was released in one of two robbery cases only 15 days ago, said in his statement that he appeared before the police on the 'advice' of his relatives.
When asked about his suspicious phone calls which were intercepted during geo-fencing, Waqar-ul-Hassan told the CIA police that the phone number in question was being used by his brother-in-law, identified as Abbas, who knows Malhi.
"Though I had committed some crimes like robberies in my life, but I have no connection with the gang-rape of the woman. I run a spare parts workshop and I was in Lahore to purchase some spare parts on the day incident occurred," the sources quoted Hassan as telling the investigators.
The co-accused claimed that he had advised his brother-in-law, Abbas, to surrender himself too but he refused to do so. "Abbas had been involved in a number of criminal activities with Abid Ali Malhi and he was still in his contact," he claimed, denying his involvement.
The sources said that the police have taken blood samples of Hassan and sent them to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) for DNA profiling with the blood samples of the rape survivor. They said the innocence of Hassan would be ascertained in the light of DNA test report.
On the other hand, the sources added that as the daughter of Malhi had already been taken into custody by police during a raid on Saturday, the security agencies are trying their best to arrest Malhi and Abbas.
On Saturday, Punjab IGP Inam Ghani had said that Abid Malhi, a habitual rapist, was booked in seven criminal cases between 2013 and 2017, including two related to gang-rape incidents.
The IG said that Ali, now 28, had previously used four mobile numbers that he got discontinued, and was currently using a fifth number that gave police a lead about the co-suspect Hassan. He said Ali had fled along with his wife, as police found a girl, a nikahnama and some other documents from his house. "Police are on the hunt for the men," he had said. Earlier, the Punjab government had also announced Rs 2.5 million as prize money for those who would give any clue leading to the arrest of the suspects.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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