Three booked for rape of deaf, mute woman in Pakistan

Pakistani police have registered a case against three people in connection with the rape of a 27-year-old deaf and dumb woman.

The case was registered after doctors at the Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) confirmed pregnancy of the unmarried woman, Dawn online reported.

The younger brother of the woman said, his sister had complained of stomach pain a week ago. She was taken to the hospital where the doctors said she was six months pregnant.

The woman had earlier tried to explain her ordeal through sign language that about six months ago she was given a glass of juice by one of her colleagues in her institute, he said.

After taking the juice, she fell unconscious. She was later driven to a friend's house by a man, the complainant said.

The woman, who has impaired hearing, claims that she was raped at a colleague's home.

She also said that she was taken to the house, given an injection by an unidentified man who was already present there and after that she was raped.

However, the number of accused who raped the woman could not be ascertained.

The victim claimed that she could identify the alleged rapists if they were presented before her.

Her brother said the administration of her institution failed to provide protection to his sister and was now trying to harass him and his family.

"My parents and I were shocked when the doctors disclosed that my sister was pregnant," he said.

He said his sister used to complain of kidney pain and was examined by different private doctors but none of them said that she was pregnant.

He sought the help of his area's local council chairman after the police refused to register a case against the accused, the complainant said.

After the intervention of the chairman, the police registered an FIR against the driver of the vehicle (main accused), the owner of the institute and the woman at whose house she was allegedly raped. But the accused are yet to be arrested, he added.

The administrator of the institute first tried to pressure the woman's family by accusing them of kidnapping the driver (one of the accused) but the police registered the case on the intervention of the chairman after four days.

When the superintendent of the police, Potohar division, Attiq Tahir, was contacted, he said efforts were underway to arrest the accused.

The SP said he had ordered the investigating official to send samples taken from the woman for laboratory tests.