Gang rape on moving train triggers arrests and anger in Pakistan

A young woman has been raped by three men on a moving train in Pakistan, in another incident that has shocked the South Asian nation plagued by the rise of sexual violence.

The 25-year-old mother was on board the train last week when she was lured to an empty compartment by a ticket checker and three men raped her, Railways Police Chief Faisal Shahkar said.

Police arrested two suspects on Monday when the incident came to the light and a third one was captured on Tuesday, Shahkar said.

The incident had drawn anger from rights bodies, activists, celebrities and the public as most people called for punishing the culprits.

"I wish to see those behind this cruel act hanged by their throats," a man told Pakistani broadcaster Geo.

More than 14,000 women have been raped in Pakistan in the past four years, but less than 3% of the offenders were convicted.

Faulty investigations, a flawed justice system and social taboos that discourage victims from seeking justice are the factors behind low conviction rate.

"This figure might be a tip of the iceberg because most cases aren't reported," said National Bureau of Police, which has compiled these statistics.

Pakistan's parliament approved a new anti-rape law last year that allows courts to order the chemical castration of offenders in some cases, but very little has been changed since.

The new law was enacted in response to the gang rape of a Pakistan-French mother in front of her children on a highway in the eastern city of Lahore.