In another shocking incident, a woman was allegedly gang-raped in front of her husband by armed robbers in Faisalabad’s Sandal Bar area, police reported on Thursday.
The crime reportedly took place on March 25, 2025, in Chak No. 62 JB Channan when the couple was returning home from the Agriculture University Hostel on a motorcycle.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), two armed assailants intercepted the couple near a motorway bridge, holding them at gunpoint. They robbed them of Rs.800 in cash, a mobile phone, and the woman’s identity card before dragging the husband to a nearby sugarcane field, where they tied him up.
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The suspects then took the woman to the same field and called a third accomplice, described as tall and well-built, who arrived on a motorcycle. The victim’s husband stated in the FIR that he initially searched for the perpetrators himself before reporting the incident to the police the next day via the emergency helpline.
Authorities confirmed that the victim’s medical examination has been completed, and DNA samples have been sent for forensic analysis. A case has been registered against unidentified suspects under robbery and sexual assault charges, with a search operation underway.
According to the SSP Investigation, geofencing of the crime scene led to the detention of three suspects, and further inquiries are ongoing.
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Notably, in August 2024, a similar incident occurred in Faisalabad’s Sandal Bar area, where two armed robbers assaulted a married woman in Chak No. 34 JB after looting cash and mobile phones from her husband.
Additionally, in September 2020, two robbers gang-raped a mother of two on the motorway within Gujjarpura police jurisdiction. The woman, who was traveling with her children to Gujranwala, was stranded after her car ran out of fuel. As she waited for assistance, two robbers broke her car window, dragged her and her children into nearby bushes, and raped her in front of them. They also stole her purse, cash, jewelry, car registration papers, and ATM cards.
Pakistan has been debating stricter punishments for sex crimes in response to public outrage over such cases. Lawmakers had considered enforcing public executions for those convicted of sexually abusing and murdering children. However, this proposal risked affecting Pakistan’s preferential trade status with the European Union.
According to the Karachi-based group War Against Rape, fewer than 3% of sexual assault or rape cases in Pakistan result in convictions.