MUZAFFARABAD: A British-Kashmiri man has been arrested in Mirpur district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Saturday on charges of establishing sexual relations with a woman under the false promise of marriage, police said.

The accused, a native ofBarnala Bhatian village in Chakswari tehsil, has been taken into custody under Section 10 of the Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hudood) Ordinance, 1979 (ZHA).

His arrest followed a complaint filed by a resident of Chakswari with Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mirpur Khawar Ali Shaukat on Friday.

The SSP forwarded the application to Chakswari police station, which formally registered a First Information Report (FIR) on Saturday after reviewing her medical examination report.

According to the complainant, she and her parents had been living as tenants for nearly a year in a house owned by the accused`s son. She alleged the accused, who resides in Bradford, UK, had stayed in the same house during his visits to Pakistan.

During his last visit, which lasted two to three months, the man proposed marriage to her in the presence of her parents, the complainant said, adding that the proposal was accepted, and he then returned to the UK.

About two months ago, the accused returned to Pakistan and repeatedly assured her that he would contract Nikah with her and take her to the UK.

`During this period, he sexually assaulted me multiple times, exploiting my trust. On March 26, when I insisted he fulfills his promise, he outright refused, saying he would never marry me. He also threatened to have me killed if I spoke about this to anyone,` she said in the FIR.

She alleged that the man had deceived her, violated her dignity, and ruined her life while continuing to threaten her with dire consequences.

Declaring him a dangerous person, she sought legal action against him and protection for herself and her family.

Chakswari`s Station House Officer (SHO) Abdul Qudoos told Dawn that after receiving the woman`s complaint, they summoned her on Saturday for a medical examination at a Rural Health Centre under the supervision of a family medical officer.

`The medical report confirmed that she was not a virgin,` he said, adding that the man had been booked based on the report and her complaint. He said the police had prohibited the accused from leaving the town. The accused was reportedly scheduled to return to the UK on Saturday.

When contacted, SSP Shaukat said the police had also sent the matter for a legal opinion to their prosecution branch to determine the role of the complainant, `because it`s a case of mutual consent before Nikah`.