By Arif Ahmed

Two young men from Peshawar have been arrested on charges of allegedly raping and then killing a 17-year-old girl, Ayesha, by giving her poisonous medicine in a hotel located in the jurisdiction of Rahimabad Police Station, Swat. Police have registered a case against the suspects under sections for murder, kidnapping, rape and other related offences and have started investigations.

According to the FIR, the deceased, Ayesha daughter of Muhammad Farooq, a resident of Usmanabad, Abbottabad, left home yesterday morning but did not return, after which her family began searching for her. Later, the family was informed that Ayesha was in an unconscious state in the emergency ward of Saidu Sharif Hospital, where she died during treatment.

In the application given to police, the complainant, Shehryar son of Muhammad Farooq, stated that the suspects, Asfandyar son of Muhammad Tariq and Muhammad Muzammil son of Syed Ahmad, from Peshawar, took Ayesha with them to Swat, where at a hotel they allegedly raped her and then gave her a poisonous or intoxicating substance.

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The FIR alleges that to conceal their crime, the suspects gave the victim a poisonous or intoxicating substance, which caused her condition to deteriorate.

According to the Swat Police spokesperson, on the immediate notice of DPO Swat Muhammad Umar Khan, SDPO City Bakhtzada supervised SHO Rahimabad Police Station Fazal Rahim and his team, who carried out an operation and arrested both suspects.

According to police, initial investigation revealed that the suspects allegedly took the victim to a hotel on Swat Bypass, where after raping her they gave her poisonous medicine. Her condition became critical due to the effects of the medicine, and she was shifted to Saidu Sharif Hospital, but could not survive.

After the incident, police have also initiated legal action against the said hotel, "Swat Inn". Police are also investigating why the hotel administration did not comply with legal requirements regarding identity documents, registration and other formalities while providing the room to the suspects.

Meanwhile, there is strong public anger over the incident. Citizens have demanded a complete investigation into the role of the hotel administration and said that if any negligence or fault is proven, strict legal action should also be taken against those responsible to prevent such tragic incidents in the future.

Police say that further investigation of the arrested suspects is ongoing while all aspects of the incident are being examined in detail.