April 14, 2026
By Rehan Piracha
LAHORE
Police in the Nowshera district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have detained two men accused of raping a 16-year-old girl, after the victim’s family held a press conference in Peshawar demanding action against the suspects.
At the press conference on Monday (April 13), the victim’s mother stated that her teenage daughter was drugged, tortured and sexually assaulted at their home by two neighbourhood youths on April 5. She appealed to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, the provincial Inspector General of Police, and the District Police Officer (DPO) Nowshera to arrest the suspects and deliver justice to her family.
Following the press conference, Nowshera police moved swiftly and detained the two men named by the family. In a statement posted on its official social media page on April 13, Nowshera police said it had responded promptly to a complaint lodged by the victim’s mother. Personnel from Pabbi Police Station detained the two suspects in connection with First Information Report (FIR) No. 588, registered on April 13. The accused have been charged under Sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 337J (causing hurt by poison) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Nowshera police identified the accused as Sherry, son of Shahid, and Afaq, son of Imtiaz, both residents of the Khadrizi locality in Pabbi. District Police Officer Ahmed Shah took strict notice of the incident and assigned the task of arresting the suspects to SDPO Pabbi Circle Mukadam Khan, SHO Pabbi Police Station Ashfaq Ahmed, and a team working under the direct supervision of SP Investigation Shah Asad Khan.
According to the FIR and police statement, the accused had climbed the boundary wall of the victim’s home, threatened her at gunpoint and subjected her to torture and sexual assault. “A case was immediately registered on the complaint. The accused named in the FIR were taken into custody without delay and will be brought to justice,” Nowshera police said, adding that further investigation was underway. The victim was shifted to a hospital for treatment following her rescue.
Narrating the harrowing incident at the press conference, the victim’s mother said she had gone to attend a wedding at a relative’s home in the neighbourhood on April 5, leaving her daughter alone at home with the door locked. During her absence, the accused — who were known to the family as neighbours and relatives — allegedly scaled the boundary wall, forcibly administered drugs to the girl, and subjected her to torture and sexual assault at gunpoint.
“When I returned from the wedding and unlocked the door, I found my daughter lying unconscious on the floor with foam coming out of her mouth,” the mother recounted. She said she rushed her daughter to Khyber Teaching Hospital, where she was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in critical condition. A medical examination conducted after the girl regained consciousness confirmed that she had been sexually assaulted.
The victim’s mother brought her daughter, who was reported to be in serious medical condition, to the press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, along with her medical reports. In an emotional appeal, the bereaved mother said she was a widow with no financial resources or powerful connections. “My son works hard to earn a livelihood for the family. I have no money, no influence — my only recourse is prayer to Allah,” she said. She urged the Chief Minister, the IG Police and the DPO Nowshera to ensure the arrest of the accused and deliver justice to her family.
“Nowshera Police will provide justice to every victim, while indiscriminate action will be taken against those who commit such atrocities. Nowshera Police is your guarantee of safety,” the police said in its statement.