A pir (spiritual guide), identified as Muhammad Saleem Sujawal, was arrested for harassing and attempting to rape a teenage girl in Faisalabad’s Ghulamabad, the police confirmed.
“My sister gets scared very easily without any reason because of which I decided to take her to Sujawal ,” the victim’s brother, Qaiser Abbas said. According to residents, the suspect is a ‘renowned scholar’ and a lot of people came to him for spiritual cures.
“During the visit, Sujawal told me to go to a graveyard promising to treat my sister,” Abbas added. When he and his sister reached home, the teenager complained that the pir had touched her inappropriately and tried to rape her.
Following this, residents of the neighbourhood beat up Sujawal and handed him over to the police.
“The suspect refused to admit his crime and instead said that he only oiled the girl’s body to rid her of supernatural influence,” a police officer said.
An FIR has been registered under sections 376 (punishment for rape) and 511 (Punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or for a shorter terms) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The suspect is being interrogated in police custody.
