A woman accused of spreading “fake news” of a college campus rape that went viral this month was arrested in Lahore on Thursday, 10 days after being taken into custody from Karachi.

On October 22, police arrested the suspect, Sara Khan, in Karachi and transferred her to Lahore. On the same day, a case was registered against her at the Gulberg Police Station under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and other relevant sections. The woman had claimed on social media that she was the mother of the affected student.

The first information report also invoked sections 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), 500 (punishment for defamation), 499 (defamation), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 124-A (sedition), 124 (assaulting president, governor, etc, with intention to compel or restrain the exercise of any lawful power) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

According to the case filed by Sub-Inspector Muhammad Imran, the woman stated in a video that the victim was her daughter.

According to the lawyer of the accused, Sara was taken into custody by plainclothes officers. The woman had filed a petition for the recovery of her brothers and brothers-in-law.

Organised Crime Unit (OCU) Deputy Inspector General Imran Kishore stated that the CIA Model Town police arrested the suspect outside the court. The CIA police have also noted the arrest of another individual linked to the case, he claimed and added that the suspect would be presented in court to obtain her remand.

On October 14, news of the alleged assault on a student from a private college in Lahore spread on social media, causing students to take to the streets. Many people vandalised properties at the college and led intense protests. At least 27 students were injured in clashes with the police.

Following student protests, police detained a security guard from a private college based on the identification of the demonstrators. Reports emerged suggesting that the allegations were “false.”

In response, ASP Bano Naqvi released a video statement alongside the alleged father and uncle of the affected student.

In the video, a man standing with the ASP stated that videos circulating on social media regarding the incident at the private college in Lahore were “misleading.” He clarified that their daughter had fallen down the stairs at home, resulting in a back injury that required her to be taken to the ICU.

Subsequently, the Punjab Home Department formed a joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate the spread of unverified news about the alleged assault on the student across social media platforms.

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Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has ordered a vigorous crackdown on those involved in disseminating fake news, stating that if “this conspiracy had succeeded, many lives could have been at risk.”

She added that the entire web of such a conspiracy has been exposed, insisting that the “factories of lies” on social media must be shut down.

Maryam noted that on October 10, a girl’s name was mentioned in connection with an alleged rape, but the girl had actually been hospitalised since October 2. She clarified that the girl had suffered a fall and was admitted to the ICU due to serious injuries.