Law enforcement agencies on Friday busted a gang allegedly involved in forced prostitution. It was allegedly being patronized by a local leader of a political party after the recovery of a missing teenaged girl. Investigation officer of Darakshan police station Imtiaz told Business Recorder that four accused persons including three women were taken into custody. However, the prime suspect Israr Abbasi, a local political leader of party's interior Sindh chapter, is still absconder and efforts are being made to nab other associates involved in this crime, he said.
During the initial course of investigation, it was learned that they were running a 'prostitution business' in an organized manner. However, a probe is in progress to ascertain the facts behind it, he said.
On the pointation of a girl recovered during the raid, police are conducting raids in different vicinities of Karachi but no further arrests were made till filing of this report.
The 14-year-old girl claimed in the FIR that accused Abbasi along with Anam and Safia visited her house located in Qayyumabad, Karachi, five months ago with a job offer of Rs 20,000, which was accepted by her parents due to financial constraints.
Resultantly, they took her to an undisclosed location where they forced her to work as sex worker.
She further claimed that they used to rent bungalows at different places in the city to run this illicit business and on her resistance she drugged by them to get the purpose served.
"I was shifted to a flat at Nishat Commercial Lane No-9, DHA some 10 days ago where Sanam Imran, Nisha Abdul Hakeem, Kiran and others were already residing at the place.
"I was also sexually abused by Abbasi, Bilal, Gulab and four others and I can easily recognise their faces in identification parade," she alleged.
Family sources claimed that Shabana's recovery was made after her phone call through which she provided details of her whereabouts to the family.
Following the call, the desperate family approached Darakhshan police station for help; however, the SHO concerned, according to the family sources, refused to intervene, citing lack of credible information required for the raid on the flat.
In the meantime, the victim family approached Sindh Rangers Helpline.
Within a half an hour, three Rangers mobiles reached the site, with the officials cordoning off the area and recovering the girl from the flat in a miserable condition, later police also rushed to the site and arrested four accused including three women, they said. Quoting the girl they said more girls were being sexually victimized by the gang. She will undergo medical examination shortly.