Motorway gang-rape case: Main accused Abid Malhi escapes for third time

NANKANA SAHIB (92 News) – Abid Malhi, the main accused in the Motorway gang-rape case, escaped for third time after dodging police in Nankana Sahib on Thursday late night. According to the reports, Abid Ali came to the house of his sister-in-law in Nankana Sahib in the afternoon. On getting information, police conducted a search operation and cordoned off the area but Abid Ali fled to the scene. However, Abid's sister-in-law Kishwar has been taken into custody by the police. She revealed that Abid came to her house after disguising himself, adding the he has clean shaved his face. It was third time in the past 10 days when Abid dogged police and managed to escape. Earlier on Wednesday, Abid managed to avoid being arrested when a heavy contingent of police and other law enforcement agencies conducted a raid in Raja Jang area of Kasur. The police raided after being informed about the arrival of Abid Malhi in Kasur. The accused came in the area but on suspicion of police presence fled into the fields. A heavy contingent of police personnel conducted a search operation for five hours but the accused managed to escape from there. However, police had arrested five relatives of Abid from Kasur for interrogation. A day earlier, Abid Malhi is at large even after 10 days of the Motorway gang-rape case but the police have arrested five relatives of the main accused in Kasur. According to the reports, Lahore police carried out an operation in Kasur’s area of Rao Khan on a tip-off that Abid Ali was present in the area during which five of his relatives were arrested. It said that two cousins, a woman and two other relatives of Abid Ali are among the arrested. Abid Malhi had contacted these persons two days ago. The arrested persons would be brought to Lahore for further investigation. Earlier, twenty-six teams formed to trace the culprits have failed so far. The police could not find the main accused even at the hideouts pointed out by the arrested accused Shafqat and Balla Mistry. The Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) of the accused has been blocked by the authorities. The investigation of the case has been assigned to Old Anarkali Investigation in-charge. Two DSPs have been appointed for the arrest of the accused Abid Ali. According to the police, only an officer of the inspector rank could investigate the Anti-Terrorism Act sections and a sub-inspector has no authority to do so. They said that the accused Shafqat had been sent to jail for identification parade and the victim will have to visit the jail for identifying the accused. “The accused has been kept in a security barrack. The identification parade will be conducted in the presence of the investigation officer and the jail authorities. Raids are being conducted to arrest Abid Malhi on the pointation of Shafqat,” they added. Sources said that the CIA had arrested five more people and Abid’s family members are in the custody of the CIA. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar said that the police had arrested one accused and another would be arrested soon.