Pakistan: Key suspect in highway gang-rape case arrested

One of the suspects wanted in the gang-rape of a French-Pakistani woman in front of her three children near a highway here was on Monday arrested and has confessed the crime that sparked countrywide outrage.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Monday in a tweet identified the suspect as Shafqat Ali, 23, and said his DNA had matched with the samples collected from the crime scene.

"The DNA of one of the two suspects in the gang-rape of a woman in front of her three children on a highway has been matched with the victim," Buzdar said.

Shafqat was arrested by the Anti-Organised Crime Cell (CIA) after being identified by one of the two prime accused who surrendered on Sunday and denied any involvement in the case.

The woman in her complaint alleged that two robbers raped her at gunpoint in front of her children while she was waiting for help on the motorway after her car developed a fault.

The incident sparked widespread outrage and condemnation. A number of demonstrations ensued in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar and other parts of the country against the incident demanding the Imran Khan government to give exemplary punishment to the culprits and ensure the protection of women.

The woman said to be French-Pakistani national was allegedly raped by two robbers in front of her children near Gujjarpura area of Lahore-Sialkot motorway on Wednesday last while she was waiting for help on the road after her car developed a fault or run out of fuel, police said. A medico-legal report also confirmed the rape.

A number of protests have been held in Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar and other parts of the country, demanding the government to arrest the culprits and give them exemplary punishment.