Police have arrested the prime suspect involved in the gang-rape of a American tourist and content creator, Arbela Arpi, in the Fort Munro area of Dera Ghazi Khan.
The 21-year-old American woman was visiting the tourist site when the incident happened. She said she was staying at a local hotel when two travel guides sexually abused her. According to the woman, the accused made videos of sexually abusing her to be used for blackmailing her for money afterward.
The detainees include the woman’s host who took her to the hotel in Dera Ghazi Khan, a district in Punjab province. The hotel management has also been taken into custody. The accused was allegedly raped by tour guides Muzamil Shehzad and Muhammad Abid. Prime suspect Muzammil Shehzad was arrested from Rajanpur and will be presented in the court in Dera Ghazi Khan. Meanwhile, another suspect is on the run. According to the foreign content creator, the incident happened on the night of July 17th.
یہ صدمہ زندگی بھر نہیں بھلا سکوں گی: ریپ کا نشانہ بننے والی امریکی خاتون pic.twitter.com/6amRgOwO0X
— Independent Urdu (@indyurdu) July 20, 2022
Media reports claim the woman arrived in Pakistan three weeks ago and visited Lahore, Bahawalpur, Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Fort Munro. Police record claims she was friends with the suspect Muzammil and even stayed at his house in Rajanpur. Being her tour guide, Muzamil took her to different tourist sites in Punjab.
Read more: Girl consumed acid to save herself from being gang-raped
Arbela has social media accounts where she promoted tourism in Pakistan. The Border Security Force had registered the case upon her complaint. The survivor will undergo a medical examination as well. Following the incident, she said she is deactivating her accounts. In her video message, she said that she is currently safe but legal procedures are exhausting. Adding that she is in extreme shock and doesn’t know if she will ever heal from the incident.
Meanwhile, Pakistani netizens have expressed solidarity with her and demanded police to take strict action against the culprits. The US Embassy in Islamabad told APP that they are ready to provide counsel services to the victim.
“The protection of US citizens overseas is the highest priority of the US Department of State and our embassies and consulates abroad,” it said. It said, “out of respect for the privacy of the alleged victim, we cannot comment on the specifics of the allegation.”