Cleric, accomplice arrested in Rawalpindi for molesting minors for three years

A cleric and his accomplice have been arrested in Rawalpindi city of Punjab province for molesting seminary students and filming the heinous acts for the last three years, local media reported.

The incidents occurred in the premises of a mosque in Dhoke Phulari village in Chakwal District, located in the jurisdiction of Tamman Police Station, Dawn reported.

The victims included four minor girls and a boy, who were all students at the seminary. The case only came to light when the prayer leader and his accomplice, who filmed the incidents, had a disagreement, police said.

Police officials told Dawn that both the suspects were appointed at the same mosque. The matter remained hushed up for the last three years. During the period they molested minors.

However, the two suspects developed differences over some matter, which led the second suspect, who had filmed the incidents, to reveal the heinous acts to the police.

He approached Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Talagang Sikandar Gondal and disclosed that his fellow cleric had sexually assaulted four girls and a boy, all aged between six to 12 years. He also showed a video to the police officer, thinking that by doing so, only his fellow cleric who was the prime suspect, would be arrested, according to police.

On seeing the evidence, the DSP summoned the boy who is now 14 years old, and the latter revealed that he had been sexually assaulted five times by the prayer leader.

Police subsequently arrested both the suspects. During preliminary investigation, the prime suspect confessed to having molested four minor girls aged between six and nine years.

Last month, a Pakist court sentenced a cleric to death for sexually assaulting an eight-year-old girl in Peshawar city two years ago.

( With inputs from ANI )