Karachi court orders ossification test of suspect in American woman rape case

KARACHI: A judicial magistrate has ordered an ossification test for a teenage suspect arrested in a case related to the alleged rape of an American woman at her apartment in the Defence Housing Authority area.

The investigating officer produced the suspect before Judicial Magistrate Muzammil Ali Soomro and sought his physical remand for interrogation. After hearing the officer and reviewing photocopies of the suspect’s birth certificate, which were said to indicate that he was a juvenile, the court sent him into police custody for four days so his actual age could be determined.

Court order on age determination

In its order, the court noted that the suspect’s physical appearance suggested he seemed to be an adult and that his apparent age did not, at first glance, match the age mentioned in the photocopied birth certificate presented before it.

“In these circumstances, the claim of juvenility requires verification before the benefit of the Juvenile Justice System Act can be extended,” the order stated.

The court further stated that an ossification test was necessary without delay in the interest of justice and for a proper determination of the suspect’s age. It directed the investigating officer to have the examination carried out by a competent medical board.

Complainant’s account

According to the complainant, she is a permanent resident of the United States and has been living in DHA since April. She alleged that the suspect sexually assaulted her at her home at around 4am on July 17 and then fled.

The case pertains to the alleged assault of the woman inside her residence in Karachi’s DHA locality. The latest court order concerns only the question of whether the suspect is legally a juvenile before any benefit under the Juvenile Justice System Act may be considered.