Lahore rape case takes new turn as Azeri woman declares accused innocent, seeks case closure

LAHORE: An Azerbaijani woman who had accused three men of gang rape in Lahore has issued a video statement declaring one of the accused, Ahmad Tanveer, innocent and seeking an end to the case, prompting police and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to warn that the video could influence the investigation.

The development comes after police arrested Tanveer outside the court premises following a sessions court extended his interim bail until October 27.

The woman had previously recorded her statement before a judicial magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, naming three men in connection with the alleged assault.

Deputy Inspector General of Investigation Syed Zeeshan Raza said the woman had already given her statement before a court and that the police would continue investigating the case on merit.

In her video statement, the woman, identified as Diana, said that Tanveer had neither assaulted her nor taken her mobile phone. She said he had returned her phone and belongings and appealed for the case against him to be closed.

“I had given statements earlier under pressure,” she said in the video, without specifying the circumstances or the nature of the alleged pressure.

غیر ملکی خاتون ڈیانا کا ایک اور بیان جاری
سمجھ سے باہر ہے کہ پولیس نے احمد تنویر کو کس بنیاد پر گرفتار کیا ہے
میں اس وقت بھی عدالت جا کر بیان دینا چاہتی تھی
مجھے کہا گیا ہے کہ اپکی جان کو خطرہ ہے مجھے زبردستی پاکستان بھیجا گیا
مجھے اپنی مرضی سے اظہار کرنے اور فیصلہ کرنے کا… pic.twitter.com/pfRvJtGWfP

— Waqas Awan (@WaqasAwan666) October 23, 2026

Her latest statement differs from the account she previously gave before the judicial magistrate.

Police say investigation will continue

DIG Investigation Raza said that the woman’s statement had already been recorded in court under Section 164 and that she had named three suspects in connection with the alleged assault.

He added that the other two arrested suspects had also acknowledged the third suspect’s alleged involvement, according to the police account.

“The third suspect will be included in the investigation in all circumstances, and the investigation will be completed on merit,” Raza said.

He also alleged that the video statement being circulated on social media was an attempt to influence the investigation.

The police position comes amid conflicting accounts of the case, with the woman’s latest video statement contradicting her earlier judicial statement.

Accused arrested despite extension of interim bail

A sessions court extended Tanveer’s interim bail until October 27 in the case on Friday. However, police arrested him outside the court premises after the hearing.

Tanveer’s lawyer, Safdar Shaheen Pirzada, appeared before the court and argued that police personnel had been deployed around the court to arrest his client. He expressed concern that Tanveer could be implicated in another case.

Tanveer’s arrest prompted a separate petition challenging his detention. The petition alleged that personnel from the Crime Control Department (CCD), along with men in plain clothes, had abducted him and moved him to an undisclosed location despite his interim bail.

The petition also expressed fears that he could be kept in illegal custody and killed in a staged police encounter. It asked the court to order his recovery and production before the court and ensure his security.

During the proceedings, the court summoned the sessions court security in-charge and directed that Tanveer be escorted safely to his vehicle. The court observed that security could be provided up to the vehicle, after which Tanveer and the police would have to proceed on their own.

Reports also suggested that Tanveer’s brother and some other people were detained

Tanveer had also obtained protective bail from the Sindh High Court to avoid arrest, according to the case details provided to the court.

Maryam Nawaz raises allegations of financial pressure

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said in a post on X that allegations had emerged that the accused’s wealthy family had offered between Rs15 million and Rs20 million to the woman to withdraw her allegations, even after her statement had been recorded under Section 164.

She also referred to allegations that the judge who granted bail to the accused had been bribed.

“If these allegations are true, they raise deeply disturbing questions about the integrity of the justice system and the vulnerability of rape survivors to financial pressure and the misuse of power,” she said.

In a recent rape case, it was revealed that the accused’s wealthy family allegedly offered 1.5–2 crore to the victim in exchange for withdrawing her allegations, despite her statement already having been recorded under Section 164. It was further alleged that the judge who…

— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) October 23, 2026

Maryam said she would continue monitoring such cases to ensure that people did not escape accountability because of their wealth, influence or connections.

The allegations of a financial offer and judicial bribery have not been established as facts and would require independent verification.

Background of the case

According to police, the 20-year-old woman from Azerbaijan had arrived in Lahore a few days before the alleged incident.

Investigators said two women allegedly befriended her and took her to a café, where three male acquaintances were present. The group allegedly took her from the café to an apartment, where she was given an intoxicating substance and sexually assaulted by three men.

Police said the suspects subsequently left her near the airport and fled. A case was registered at Defence C police station in Lahore following her complaint.

The woman was later produced before Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Sagheer, where her statement was recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The recording reportedly continued for more than an hour, with unrelated people excluded from the courtroom.

Security arrangements were tightened during the proceedings, and the woman was escorted out of the court premises through a separate route after her statement was recorded.

Two suspects, identified as Mohsin and Zain, had been arrested in connection with the case, while Tanveer’s alleged involvement remained under investigation.

Meanwhile, the woman’s lawyer requested that her statement be recorded through video link, arguing that she was not being granted a visa to return to Pakistan. The court sought arguments on the application.

The latest video statement has added a new dimension to the investigation, but police said they will continue examining the evidence and the role of all three suspects.