Lahore Court Extends Physical Remand of Two Suspects in Azeri Woman Rape Case
A judicial magistrate at Lahore’s Cantonment Courts on Monday granted police a further four-day physical remand of two prime suspects in the alleged gang-rape of an Azerbaijani woman, as the investigation into the high-profile case continued.
The 20-year-old Azerbaijan national had travelled to Pakistan for business purposes and was allegedly gang-raped by three men in a rented flat of a private housing society near Raiwind on the night between September 25 and September 26. Police had apprehended two of the three men, who were sent on a six-day physical remand on September 29. As that remand expired on Monday, the suspects were produced before Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mahmood.
Why the court extended the remand in the Azeri woman rape case
The investigating officer told the court the investigation was still underway and further physical remand was required. The magistrate granted the request, extending the remand of both suspects by four days and directing the police to produce them again on October 9.
Separately on Monday, Additional District and Sessions Judge Rafaqat Ali extended the interim pre-arrest bail of a female suspect, one of two women accused of facilitating the alleged act, until October 13. She had secured bail until October 5 on September 29 and appeared before the court at its expiry. The other female suspect was sent on 14-day judicial remand till October 17 on Saturday.
What the survivor told the magistrate
In her statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the survivor said she had arrived in Islamabad from Istanbul on September 13 and stayed in Faisalabad for five days before travelling to Lahore.
“I had a plan to visit Skardu, but I could not go there because I was alone,” she said.
On the day of the alleged incident she messaged two women, asking them to meet her in Lahore. At around 11pm, she went to a cafe where she met one of them, the woman later sent on judicial remand, and accompanied her to a house in Bahria Town to meet the other, who secured pre-arrest bail on Monday.
The complainant told the magistrate that at around 2am, a white car arrived carrying two men, and they later moved to an apartment where two more men arrived. She said the woman on bail took between Rs20,000 and Rs30,000 from the first suspect, saying the money was for a party.
The woman said she made it clear that she “did not need money or alcohol”. She alleged that the first suspect tried to touch her and locked her in a separate room, and that when she tried to leave, she was told she could not go because her friends had taken money.
She alleged that the three men raped her, then put her in a car and left her at an unknown location, threatening her with dire consequences if she approached the police. She said the suspects also took her handbag containing Rs200,000, an iPhone 13 Pro Max and another mobile phone, after which she asked people nearby to help her call the police emergency number 15.
The Defence C police had registered a first information report against three unidentified suspects on September 26 on her complaint.
A worrying pattern in the same police jurisdiction
It is the second such case in which a foreign woman was reportedly gang-raped in the Defence C police station area during the last four months. In June, two foreign women, nationals of the Netherlands and Venezuela, were allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted in the same jurisdiction by five suspects who also demanded ransom.
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Frequently asked questions
What did the Lahore court order on Monday in the Azeri woman rape case?
Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mahmood granted Lahore police a further four-day physical remand of the two prime suspects and directed that they be produced again on October 9. Separately, a sessions court extended a female suspect’s interim pre-arrest bail until October 13.
Who are the suspects in the case?
Two men are in police custody on physical remand. Two women accused of facilitating the alleged act are also nominated: one was sent on 14-day judicial remand till October 17, while the other secured an extension of her interim pre-arrest bail till October 13.
What happened on the night of the alleged incident?
According to the survivor’s statement before a magistrate, she met two women in Lahore on the night between September 25 and 26, was taken to an apartment where she was allegedly assaulted by three men, and was later left at an unknown location after her belongings were taken.
Is this the first such case in the area?
No. It is the second reported case in four months in the Defence C police station area involving a foreign woman. In June, Dutch and Venezuelan nationals were allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted in the same jurisdiction.
