Key Takeaways
- A judicial magistrate extended the physical remand of four suspects, including one related to a senior political figure.
- The case involves the alleged abduction and rape of two foreign women from the Netherlands and Venezuela.
- The investigating officer sought further custody to complete the investigation.
A Lahore court has extended the physical remand of four suspects, including one related to a senior political figure, in an ongoing case involving the alleged abduction and rape of two foreign women. The suspects were initially booked for alleged abduction and sexual assault after the women were rescued earlier this month.
The judicial magistrate, Azhar Mehmood, granted Defence C police an additional four-day remand period upon their request to complete the investigation. Five suspects were originally identified by the complainants, but only four have been arrested so far. The court also extended the remand of these suspects for another four days.
The investigating officer stated that they had recovered the suspects' mobile phones and the vehicle allegedly used in the commission of the offence. However, the recovery of money linked to the case was still pending. Advocate Salman Shahid appeared on behalf of three of the suspects, while no counsel appeared for the prime suspect, who is reportedly a relative of a political leader.
Opposing the remand request, the defence counsel argued that police had failed to disclose what they achieved during the previous 10-day remand period. He contended that only four suspects were identified by the complainants, but additional individuals were arbitrarily implicated in the case. The lawyer also stated that no identification parade of the suspects had been conducted and requested the court to discharge three suspects from the case.
The court dismissed the interim pre-arrest bail of the station house officer (SHO) of Defence C police for non-prosecution after he allegedly unlawfully entered the official residence of the judicial magistrate hearing the high-profile case. Additional District and Sessions Judge Abdul Quddus passed this order, as the SHO failed to appear before the court upon the expiry of his interim bail.
According to the first information report (FIR), the SHO is accused of unlawfully entering the judicial magistrate's residence and threatening him. The FIR further alleges that the police officer entered the magistrate’s house at night and pressured him to talk to the deputy inspector general (DIG) of operations on a phone call.
In testimony recorded before the magistrate earlier this month, the women detailed their multi-day ordeal involving alleged kidnapping, million-dollar extortion, physical assault, and sexual abuse. The DIG, Faisal Kamran, addressed a press conference on July 5, apologising to the judiciary for the incident but defending his actions, stating that if it had not happened, 'our media and international forums would have raised questions over our legal system.'
Kamran also said that the police were ordered to treat the prime suspect like ‘any other criminal’ despite his reported links to a senior government minister. The case continues to draw attention due to its high-profile nature and the involvement of a political figure.
