Police in Lahore have arrested a man accused of assaulting a young woman who was riding a scooty. On Saturday, Maryam Nawaz, the chief minister of Punjab, said she had spoken to the victim and suggested she slap her attacker in return, but the victim declined.
The arrest came a day before that statement. Police said the suspect, Ghulam Mustafa, was traced and taken into custody with the help of his motorcycle's registration number. The incident followed a dispute over overtaking, according to police.
How the attack unfolded
Police said the incident happened on Mozang Link Road, where the suspect allegedly overtook the woman, stopped her and attacked her physically. The first information report (FIR), the formal written complaint that opens a criminal case, alleges that he pulled her hair, abused her verbally and harassed her in public. It also states that he snatched her bag and flung it to the ground, damaging a laptop worth Rs50,000.
The woman reportedly suffered facial injuries, and her nasal bone was reportedly affected. Footage from CCTV cameras, which has come to light, shows the rider halting her, seizing her and throwing her to the road before bystanders stepped in and helped her to safety.
Police said they reached the scene after receiving a call on the emergency helpline 15. An initial case was registered against an unidentified suspect on the complaint of the woman's father, and the Lahore Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations) took notice and ordered that the suspect be arrested immediately.
Chief minister's remarks and the case
In a post on X, Maryam Nawaz said she had told the woman that she could slap the man as many times as he had struck her. The woman, however, said that the government's support made her feel protected and cared for, and that she believed justice was on her side.
The case has been registered at Mozang Police Station, and further legal proceedings against the suspect have started, police said. The Lahore case is one of several recent road incidents in which police have acted quickly once the vehicle details were known, and it is likely to proceed through the courts in the coming weeks.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Lahore mein ek larki ko scooty par jaate hue motorcycle sawar ne sarak par rok kar hamla kar diya. Police ne motorcycle ke registration number ki madad se mulzim Ghulam Mustafa ko giraftar kiya hai. Punjab ki chief minister Maryam Nawaz ne kaha ke larki ne badla lene se inkar kar diya aur use insaaf ka bharosa hai. Aam logon ke liye matlab yeh hai ke sadak par jhagre mein bhi police case darj kar sakti hai.
