Pakistan(National Times)- RAWALPINDI: A suspect facing allegations of rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl was killed on Tuesday after his own accomplices opened fire on the police in an attempt to free him from custody. As per the police, the suspect, who was in fact the victim’s maternal uncle, had been arrested the night before and was being taken for recovery — of evidence — when the assailants fired upon the police party injuring the suspect who died while being shifted to the hospital. Providing details of the case, the police said that the suspect was a drug addict — ice to be precise — and lived near the victim’s house. He had taken the girl to an under-construction building where he tried to rape her. However, he killed her due to the victim’s resistance and raped the girl, the police added. The suspect then came back home and joined the family’s search for the poor soul before being made part of the investigation due to suspicious activities and later confessed to his crime in custody. The rape case is to be taken in the context of increasing sexual violence incidents with Islamabad — neighbouring Rawalpindi — reporting more gang rape cases than Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). The crime statistics reported by The News reveal that a total of 11,074 cases of murder, 2,142 cases of gang rape, 4,472 cases of Zina and 34,688 cases of kidnappings/abductions took place countrywide in 2024. Punjab reported the highest number of cases of murder, gang rape, attempt to murder, Zina and kidnapping in the country. A total of 2,142 cases of gang rape emerged across Pakistan in the past year 2024. Punjab reported 2,046 cases of gang rape. Sindh reported 71 cases of gang rape. In KP, one gang rape and 402 cases of Zina were recorded in the past year. Whereas in Balochistan, no cases of gang rape and 43 cases of Zina were reported. In Islamabad, a total of 22 cases of gang rape and 125 cases of Zina were reported. In Gilgit Baltistan, one case of gang rape was reported. And lastly, in AJK, a total of 33 cases of Zina and no cases of gang rape were reported in 2024, as officially reported crime statistics reflect.