Swat cleric arrested for kidnapping, sexually assaulting minor boy

In a chilling case of child abuse, a cleric was arrested for allegedly raping a minor boy after kidnapping him from outside a mosque in Mingora. Police registered a first information report (FIR) against the suspect on the complaint of the victim's father.

The incident took place on Monday in the Rahimabad area.

According to reports, the accused, identified as Qari Wajid, forcibly took the seven-year-old boy while he was playing outside the mosque in Takhta Band. 

When the boy tried to resist and attempted to call for help, the cleric allegedly threatened to kill him if he shouted. He then committed the assault and fled the scene.

SHO Mujib Alam Khan told the media that the perpetrator was identified with the help of CCTV footage. A picture of Qari Wajid surfaced online after his arrest. 

He also shared that this was not the first time the cleric had been involved in a child abuse case, as he had previously been reported in similar incidents.

Sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code, and Section 53 (sexual abuse) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Act were included in the FIR.