TheCable

A 20-year-old woman who was gang-raped and murdered was found hanging on a tree on Friday, June 20, 2014, the Pakistan police in Islamabad, has said.

Police Investigator, Ilyas Ahmed, said the victim, Muzamil Bibi, disappeared from her home in the south-eastern district of Layyah in Punjab province shortly after midnight on Thursday.

He said hours later, family members found her body hanging on a tree in nearby fields.

Ahmed said there were signs of torture on the body and an autopsy confirmed she was gang-raped before being strangulated.

Farzana Bari, a Rights Activist based in Islamabad, said the shocking incidents in recent weeks show the vulnerability of women in Pakistan.

She said data compiled by Aurat Foundation and other organisations indicated that rape and killing of women have been on the rise in Pakistan in recent years.

Bari said suspects often escape punishment, taking advantage of loopholes in what lawyers have said are outdated and complicated laws.

The case is being investigated by security officials in Pakistan.

In India, four women (one pictured) of the low ranking Dalit caste have been raped, murdered and hanged on trees in recent weeks.