Police get physical remand of two suspects in alleged gang rape of Azerbaijani woman

LAHORE: A Lahore court on Tuesday granted police six-day physical remand of two suspects in connection with the alleged gang rape of a 22-year-old Azerbaijani woman, allowing investigators to conduct their DNA tests.

Police presented the two suspects before Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mahmood at the Cantonment Courts and requested their physical remand for the DNA testing and further investigation.

The court granted the request and handed the suspects over to police custody for six days.

Police have registered a case at the Defence C Police Station against the suspects in connection with the alleged rape of the foreign national.

During the hearing, the investigating officer told the court that police were also seeking to arrest a woman who had been nominated as a suspect in the case. The officer said the woman would be produced before the court on Wednesday.

Separately, Additional Sessions Judge Riffaqat Ali barred police from arresting the female suspect until October 5 while hearing her petition for interim bail. The court directed her to join the investigation and ordered police to submit a report.

The Azerbaijani woman earlier recorded a statement before a judicial magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, alleging that three men sexually assaulted her after she was made to consume alcohol.

According to her statement, the woman travelled from Istanbul to Islamabad on September 13 before going to Faisalabad, where she stayed for five days. She then travelled to Lahore with plans to visit Skardu.

She told the magistrate that she later contacted two women after deciding that she could not continue travelling alone.

According to the statement, she met M* at a cafe at about 11pm. M* then told her that N* was waiting for them and they went to meet her.

The woman said they had food at about 2am when two men arrived in a vehicle and N* invited them to join the group.

She alleged that N* received between Rs20,000 and Rs30,000 from a man identified as MN* and offered the money to her, but she declined.

According to the statement, MN* then took her to another room where three men were present. When she asked about N* and M*, she was told that they had left.

She said she asked to leave but was told she could not because her friends had taken money. She offered to pay Rs30,000 but was told that more money had been taken.

The woman alleged that a man identified as AA* then threatened her and attempted to blackmail her. She said he also threatened to call police on emergency number 15.

She told the magistrate that she asked him to make the call, but police did not arrive.

According to her statement, the three men later offered her alcohol and told her they would allow her to leave if she drank with them.

She alleged that after she consumed the alcohol, the men told her to sleep there until its effects wore off, after which MN*, AM* and AA* sexually assaulted her.

The woman further alleged that she was later taken away in a vehicle and that the men took her belongings, including Rs200,000 in cash and an iPhone.

According to her statement, the men told her that her belongings would be returned if she did not report the incident to police.

She said she was later pushed out of the vehicle and left without her belongings. She then sought help from people nearby and contacted police.

Police have arrested two suspects in the case and are conducting raids to arrest a third male suspect, while the female suspect has sought interim bail.

Police also said the two mobile phones belonging to the Azerbaijani woman had not yet been recovered.

The allegations have not been tested in court and the suspects are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.