Judge directs police to be vigilant against fake rape allegations.

Byline: Israr Ahmad

Rawalpindi -- An additional session judge has asked the city police chief to keep the citizens safe from the evil designs of honey trapping and blackmailing racket.

He also directed the city police chief to discourage the hardcore and habitual male criminals in general and females in particular involved in implicating the citizens in bogus rape cases in a bid to make money, disclosed reliable sources to The Nation on Tuesday.

The judge namely ASJ Ijaz Raza also suggested the city police chief three precautionary measures to be followed in order to beware of such outlaws and gangs operating not only in Rawalpindi district, but also neighbouring districts, sources said.

Taking action, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG)/City Police Officer (CPO) Capt (R) Muhammad Faisal Rana issued a notification No.4510, RL dated 17/10/2019 to all the three divisional Superintendents of Police with strict directions to implement it in all the police stations in its true letter and spirit before filing rape cases under section 376-ii of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), sources said.

According to Pakistani law, whoever commits rape shall be punished with imprisonment for life or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine, unless the woman raped is his own wife and is not under twelve years of age, in which case he shall be punished with imprisonment.

Whoever commits rape liable to punishment shall be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term, which may extend to ten years and with whipping numbering thirty stripes, and shall also be liable to fine.

According to sources, ASJ Ijaz Raza wrote a letter number 101 dated 5/10/2019 under subject 'Honey Trapping and Blackmailing Racket' to CPO Rawalpindi Faisal Rana directing him to shield the innocent problem from the clutches of criminals involved in minting money from citizens by implicating them in fake rape cases.

The judge wrote in the letter that laws are made to protect innocent people from gangsters and criminals, but unfortunately the hardcore criminals are taking illegal advantages from...