July 24, 2026
By Iqra Manzoor
LAHORE
Police in Lodhran have arrested five men accused of raping a teenage boy, days after a video recorded during the initial incident was allegedly used to blackmail him into further abuse.
The case was registered at Dunyapur City Police Station on July 15 under Sections 376 (iii) and 292 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on the complaint of the victim’s father.
According to the FIR, the victim, whose age has been mentioned by his father as 16 or 17, was allegedly first assaulted by the main accused, ‘S’, around three months ago, who recorded a video of the incident and later shared it with four other suspects. Those four allegedly used the video to blackmail the victim and raped him on separate occasions over the following weeks and months.
Video was used for blackmail
According to the FIR, ‘S’ allegedly took the victim to a house in Fazal Colony, where he assaulted him after allegedly administering drugs, and recorded a video of the incident. He is then alleged to have shown the video to his four friends, who used it to coerce the victim into further abuse.
The victim’s father told police that he noticed changes in his son’s behaviour and, after questioning him, the teenager disclosed the alleged abuse. Police said raids were conducted at different locations before all five accused were arrested. The victim was referred to Dunyapur Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital for medical examination.
SHO confirms arrests, forensic examination completed
Dunyapur City Station House Officer (SHO) Naeem ur Rahman confirmed to Voicepk that all five accused had been arrested. According to Rahman, police investigation so far found that the victim and the main accused knew each other before the alleged abuse.
“The victim ‘A’ was in a relationship with the accused ‘S’ and both were involved in a sexual relationship. ‘S’ made an inappropriate video when both of them were involved in sexual activities and later ‘S’ showed the video to his friends (other four accused) who later raped the victim ‘A’ and this went on for weeks and months,” Rahman said.
This account differs from the FIR’s characterization of the initial incident as an assault, and it is worth noting that under Pakistani law a minor cannot legally consent to sexual activity.
The SHO said police recovered pornographic videos from the mobile phones of the accused. He further said medical examinations and DNA samples of both the victim and accused had been collected. Rahman also confirmed the victim’s consumption of a high-potency pain reliever.
“The investigation is ongoing if the accused have also used the drug,” he said.
The SHO said police had not found evidence so far suggesting that the alleged videos were sold or commercially distributed. “There has been no evidence yet suggesting the sale of the sexual abuse videos or content, the accused used the videos for themselves,” he said.
Police source says investigation started after videos surfaced
A police source familiar with the investigation told Voicepk that the case came to the attention of authorities after videos allegedly involving the victim were posted on social media. According to the source, police traced the victim’s family during the inquiry. The source claimed the family was initially reluctant to register a complaint but later approached police.
The source also claimed that people in the neighbourhood were aware of the alleged activities involving the accused and the victim. Voicepk contacted the victim’s family for their version of events but did not receive a response.
Other child abuse cases reported in Punjab
The Lodhran case is not connected to a religious seminary, but it comes amid several other reported cases of alleged child sexual abuse in Punjab in recent weeks.
In Gujrat district, police arrested four teenage students of a religious seminary after an 11-year-old boy was allegedly raped by classmates, who were also accused of recording the incident on a mobile phone.
In Jhang district, police arrested a prayer leader after the father of a 13-year-old seminary student alleged that the cleric kept the child behind after lessons and sexually assaulted him at a mosque. Police registered a case under rape provisions of the PPC and remanded the accused for investigation.
In Sahiwal district, police arrested a prayer leader and a mosque caretaker after a complainant alleged that investigators found dozens of videos documenting the repeated abuse of seminary students. Police officials also said the investigation included allegations that children had been coerced into abusing one another.
NCRC takes notice of child abuse cases
The recent cases follow concerns raised by the National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) regarding reported incidents of violence and abuse involving children. The commission has previously taken suo motu notice of multiple cases involving violence against children and directed relevant authorities to expedite investigations, arrest suspects and submit reports. It is not yet clear whether the NCRC’s notice specifically covers the Lodhran case or only the broader pattern of recent incidents.
The NCRC has called for stronger child protection mechanisms, legal reforms and institutional safeguards in response to reported cases of abuse and violence against children.
In the Lodhran case, police said the investigation is ongoing and forensic procedures have been completed. The five accused remain in police custody while investigators continue examining the allegations, including the alleged recording and sharing of videos, the role of each suspect and the circumstances surrounding the reported assaults.