Female suspect sent to jail on judicial remand in Azeri woman ‘rape’ case

• Female suspect sent on judicial remand in gang rape case.
• Police say no longer require suspect’s physical custody.
• Court orders suspect to be presented again on October 17.

LAHORE: Police have arrested three suspects over the alleged gang rape of an Azerbaijani woman, DIG Investigation Syed Zeeshan Raza said on Saturday.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, DIG Raza said that the suspects allegedly subjected the foreign woman to gang rape inside a flat in a private housing society.

The DIG said that suspects allegedly took the foreign woman’s purse and mobile phone with them after the incident.

He said a passer-by had called Emergency 15 and informed the police about the incident.

The official further stated that the affected woman had undergone a medical examination, which confirmed that she had been raped.

“During the investigation, the suspects confessed to their crime,” DIG Raza added.

He revealed that one suspect was still at large but would also be arrested soon.

The Azerbaijani woman had travelled to Pakistan for business purposes late September and was allegedly gang-raped by three men at a rented flat in Lahore’s Defence area.

The Azerbaijani woman, 22, had alleged before the judicial magistrate that she was sexually assaulted by three men after being made to drink alcohol.

Separately, a local court in Lahore sent a woman accused of facilitating the alleged rape of the Azerbaijani woman on judicial remand.

Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mahmood heard the case and ordered the accused to be presented before the court again on October 17.

The woman was produced before the court after completing a three-day physical remand.

During the proceedings, police told the court that they no longer required the woman’s physical custody for further investigation.

Following the police statement, the court sent the accused to jail on judicial remand.