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Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Qazi Jamilur Rehman met Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday and briefed the premier on the progress made in the case concerning the sexual assault and harassment of a couple.
The IGP is personally monitoring the case after the arrest of the accused to ensure criminal action, a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“The premier was informed that all scientific methods are being used to collect more evidence. The IGP also informed the prime minster about the law and order situation in Islamabad,” the statement said.
Earlier this week, police arrested four people after a video of them holding a couple at gunpoint, forcing them to strip and then beating them up went viral on social media. The incident had occurred in an apartment in E-11/2.
A case was registered in the Golra police station under section 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint), 354A (assault or use of criminal force against woman and stripping her of her clothes), 506 (ii) (punishment for criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of Pakistan Penal Code.
The case was registered on behalf of the state with Sub-Inspector Syed Asim Ghafar being the complainant.
Police officials investigating the case said on Thursday there was a possibility that the arrested suspects were part of a gang involved in organised crime.
Officials said scores of similar videos were recovered from the mobile phones of the suspects and these were being examined to identify people who had been a victim of abuse.
Preliminary investigations and videos retrieved from their mobile phones showed that it was not the first incident in the locality.
A few of the incidents were brought to the knowledge of the police but no action was taken, they said. The modus operandi of the suspects suggested that it was organised crime, the officials said, adding the suspects were property and car dealers who had purchased flats in the area.
They rented out the apartments for a day or even a short period. The suspects then targeted couples who rented out the flats and assaulted them, in addition to making videos of them. They would then start blackmailing them.
In a late night development, the SSP investigation through a video message had announced that the couple had gotten married.
He made the announcement after visiting them with other police officers, including a female ASP. The police officials assured the couple that they would be provided security. He said the couple had agreed to become complainants in the case.