June 9, 2026
By Iqra Manzoor
LAHORE
A prime suspect wanted in a gang rape case has been killed during an encounter with the Crime Control Department (CCD) in Lahore’s Ainu Bhattiyan area.
According to the police, an FIR was registered on June 7 under Section 375-A of the Pakistan Penal Code against three accused — Abdullah, Adnan, and Mubashir — for the alleged gang rape of a woman identified as “M.”
In her statement recorded in the FIR, the complainant said she was returning home to Karol Pind from Ainu Bhattiyan when the suspects allegedly intercepted her. She stated that all three accused forced her to a nearby field, where she was raped. She also alleged that Abdullah and Adnan directly assaulted her, while Mubashir remained present at the scene and recorded the incident on video.
The complainant also explained the delay in reporting the incident, stating that she did not immediately approach the police in order to protect her dignity. However, local media reports suggest that the accused allegedly used the recorded video to blackmail her, which later compelled her to file the complaint.
Investigation Officer Ammar Sarwar, while speaking to Voicepk, said the survivor“M” did not know the three suspects personally, though both the complainant and the accused belonged to the same locality of Karol Pind. He added that one of the accused, Abdullah, has been arrested and a court has granted two-day physical remand for further interrogation. “The other accused, Mubashir, is still at large and we are actively searching for him,” he said.
He further confirmed that the accused had allegedly recorded the incident and shared the video in different groups.
Meanwhile, according to the FIR, the incident is stated to have occurred around a month ago. However, some police sources have suggested that the alleged assault may have taken place a year to a year and a half earlier, and that the FIR was triggered after the video of the incident surfaced and went viral.
Earlier, a police official confirmed that the case had been transferred to the investigation wing for the arrest of the suspects, who were at that time still at large.
On information regarding their whereabouts, the CCD Civil Lines conducted a raid in Harbanspura. According to officials, the operation was launched following directions from DIG Kamran Faisal after CCD took over the investigation.
The CCD stated that during the raid, the suspects allegedly opened fire on the police team. In the retaliatory firing, suspect Adnan was killed on the spot, while the other two suspects — Abdullah and Mubashir — managed to flee.
Police said search operations are ongoing to arrest the remaining suspects.
Local media also reported that the accused had allegedly filmed the assault and circulated the video, which was later used to blackmail the victim. Voicepk attempted to contact the victim “M” for her comment but did not receive a response.
Sexual violence cases and CCD operations in Punjab
According to official crime statistics published on the Punjab Police website, 194 gang rape cases were registered in Punjab between January 1 and April 30. Of these, 113 cases were challaned, 63 remain under investigation, and 18 were cancelled.
Separately, data from the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) shows that nearly nine rape cases were reported daily in Punjab between January and June 2025. A total of 1,651 rape cases were registered during this six-month period, with Lahore accounting for 340 cases — the highest in the province — while reportedly recording zero convictions.
On the other hand, a fact-finding report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has raised serious concerns over the operations of the Crime Control Department. The report alleges that CCD has adopted a pattern of staged encounters and extrajudicial killings.
Based on media reports, HRCP documented at least 670 CCD-led encounters over eight months in 2025, resulting in 924 suspect deaths, with only two police fatalities reported. The report notes that the extreme imbalance in casualties and the consistency of operational patterns across districts suggests an institutionalized practice, and has called for a high-level judicial inquiry into these deaths.