LAHORE: Cleric Mufti Azizur Rehman has confessed to sexually abusing a student and threatening him after a video of the incident went viral.
The seminary teacher was arrested along with his son from Mianwali after a case was registered against him for sexually assaulting the student. The cleric has supposedly confessed in his initial statement after being interrogated by police.
The cleric said that he was worried after the video went viral on social media and his sons threatened the student Sabir Shah to stop him from speaking to anyone. “I was led astray. I sexually assaulted him while offering him to help in clearing exams,” he said.
He further said that he did not want to leave the madrassah and had to issue to confessional video. “I released a video clarifying my position as I do not want to leave the seminary,” he said, adding that he was instructed to leave the seminary before he released the video.
Azizur Rehman said he fled after an FIR was registered against him and he stayed with his students in Township area of Lahore, Sheikhupura and Faisalabad. He said he got arrested after his son’s phone location was traced and was in Mianwali when police arrested me.
He expressed remorse over the act committed by him with the student. “I am ashamed of what I did, I was lost. I confess my guilt,” he said
Police arrested cleric Mufti Aziz-ur-Rehman from Mianwali on Sunday after a case was registered for sexually assaulting a seminary student.
Punjab Inspector General (IGP) Inam Ghani has confirmed the arrest. “We will take it as a test case, interrogate him, conduct scientific professional investigation, prosecute and get him convicted by the court. We want our kids protected from these child molesters and keep our society safe for our future,” he said in a statement on Twitter.
The case was registered on the student’s complaint when police arrived at his local madrassa in Lahore after the video went viral on social media. The student said Rehman sexually abused him and then the cleric’s sons started blackmailing and threatening to kill him.
