Lahore Police tracing suspects who assaulted woman near Minar-e-Pakistan through videos, photos: CCPO

Lahore Police are tracing the hundreds of suspects who assaulted and harassed a female TikToker and her companions at the city's Greater Iqbal Park on Independence Day, the city's police chief said on Wednesday.

In a statement, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar said the suspects were being identified through videos of the incident shared on social media, and that a number of photos and videos had been sent to the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to ascertain their identities.

On Tuesday, the Lorry Adda police had registered a case against nearly 400 suspects for harassing and assaulting the woman at Azadi Flyover.

The incident occurred on August 14 when hundreds of youngsters were celebrating Independence Day at the park. Police moved into action on Tuesday after videos of the episode went viral and sparked an outrage on social media.

CCPO Dogar ordered police to arrest the suspects visible in the video clips and said the culprits would be "traced soon", according to the statement.

"Those who misbehaved with the girl will be dealt with strictly," he was quoted as saying.

On Wednesday, Lahore Police also issued an appeal to the public to help identify and arrest the suspects involved in the incident.

The FIR was registered under Sections 354-A (assault or use of criminal force against woman and stripping her of her clothes), 382 (theft after preparation made for causing death, hurt or restraint in order to commit the theft), 147 (rioting) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Azhar Mashwani, Punjab chief minister's focal person for digital media, on Wednesday said that "strong and non-bailable clauses" had been added to the FIR.

He added that Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar had ordered police to arrest all the culprits "ASAP".

Meanwhile, PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had personally spoken to the Punjab inspector general of police about the incident. "Police is catching all culprits involved in [the] manhandling of female TikToker in Lahore," he tweeted.

 

source https://www.suchtv.pk/pakistan/punjab/item/107790-lahore-police-tracing-suspects-who-assaulted-woman-near-minar-e-pakistan-through-videos-photos-ccpo.html