KARACHI: A Karachi-based woman was allegedly gang-raped by train crew members on board the Bahauddin Zakariya Express between Karachi and Multan railway stations.
According to FIR, the incident occurred on May 27 when the victim, who hails from Karachi’s Orangi Town, boarded the train from Multan railway station for Karachi.
The woman went to Multan to meet his children.
The FIR stated that the woman passenger purchased an economy class ticket
for Karachi and when the Bahauddin Zakariya Express reached near Rohri
station, two ticket checkers and an official allegedly lured her into a trap
of offering a seat in the AC bogie.
The ticket checkers and an official took the woman to an AC compartment of a
bogie where she was gang-raped by crew members, the FIR stated.
After reaching the Karachi railway station, the woman explained the ordeal
to the police and lodged a case against the suspects.
Inspector General (IGP) Railways Faisal Shahkar took notice of the incident
and formed a special team. He ordered authorities to arrest suspects.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Pakistan Railways told Pakistan Today that the Zakaria Express incident was reported by the victim at the request of the railway administration.
“IG Police had taken notice of a media report published in a local paper in Multan. The incident was reported from a train owned by a private company. Even after landing at Karachi station, the aggrieved did not seek help from the police desk. A day later, when the incident was reported in a local newspaper, the Karachi Divisional Superintendent sent the DCO along with the Ladies Police to the victim’s house where the railway administration persuaded the woman to register an FIR,” the spokesman.
Meanwhile, the spokesman added, railway police kept conducting raids at various places to search for the named accused and finally arrested all allegedly involved. The arrests were made from Samundari, Jahanian and Shorkot.
“The railway administration has sent a show cause notice to the private sector contractor operating Zakaria Express. In addition, all private sector employees on the trains will be re-checked by the security agencies,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer Pakistan Railways Farrukh Taimur Ghilzai has said that no compromise will be made regarding the safety of passengers. Railways is the safest means of travel in Pakistan and we will not allow its reputation to be tarnished, he added. Ghilzai said that instructions have been issued to the contractors to prevent such incidents in future.
According to the Spokesperson of Railways, Federal Minister Khwaja Saad Rafique kept taking a moment-to-moment report from the CEO on the progress of the incident.
