KHANEWAL: The district police have escalated a targeted operation against a gang accused of filing fabricated rape cases in Khanewal, registering seven more FIRs under the Anti-Rape Act 2021 and placing the crackdown on “high alert”, officials said the other day.
District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Abid told Dawn that the ongoing drive was an intelligence-based operation in which “each case was individually screened, verified and assessed on the ground.” Several previously closed cases were reopened after fresh evidence surfaced, he added, and legal proceedings were initiated once false statements stood exposed during inquiry.
All seven new cases have been registered under Police Form 24-5(1), incorporating sections 22-2A and 22-2B of the Anti-Rape Act 2021. Provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code, including sections 182 [false information], 213 [taking gift to screen offender] and 427 [mischief causing damage], have also been added to the FIRs, according to police documents.
Police sources said investigations into cases lodged at Haveli Koranga, Sarai Sidhu, Sadar Kabirwala, City Kabirwala and City Khanewal police stations revealed multiple complainants had withdrawn their allegations before courts and police, declaring the cases “false or baseless”.
“In several instances, there was a clear contradiction between the statements of plaintiffs and ground realities,” an official familiar with the probe said, requesting anonymity. “Following these findings, the scope of the operation has been widened.”
The DPO maintained that the action was being pursued under a “zero tolerance policy” and stressed that “no concession” would be made to those found misusing the law. “Those who exploit legal provisions for ulterior motives will be brought to justice,” he said.
Sources within the department indicated that additional cases had been identified during the review process and that more FIRs were likely to be registered in the coming days as verification continues.
The police have not disclosed the number of arrests made so far as the operation remains ongoing.
