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LAHORE : The gang rape victim 22-year-old Azeri woman, Diana has refused to return to her country, according to airport sources.
Diana reportedly refused to leave Pakistan, alleging that Lahore police were trying to send her back against her will.
According to airport sources, she started creating a commotion at Allama Iqbal International Airport, insisting that she would not leave without justice and claiming that she had been sexually assaulted. Airport Security Force personnel subsequently took her into their custody, the sources said.
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.
Lahore police have arrested three suspects, including a woman, in connection with the alleged gang rape of a 22-year-old Azeri woman, Diana, while efforts are underway to arrest another suspect, DIG Investigation Zeeshan Raza said on Saturday.
An FIR (No 2446/26) was registered on September 26 at Defence C Police Station against unidentified suspects following the alleged incident.
According to the DIG, the suspects allegedly took Diana to an apartment in a private housing society, where she was subjected to gang rape. They later drove her around on the Ring Road before dropping her near the Ghazi Interchange in Defence Phase VIII and fleeing.
The suspects also allegedly took the woman’s purse and mobile phone. A passerby spotted her and informed the police through Emergency 15.
Syed Zeeshan Raza said police teams were formed after registration of the case and the investigation was personally supervised by him. The suspects were traced and arrested with the help of human intelligence and modern technology.
He said the victim underwent a medical examination, which, according to the investigation, confirmed sexual assault. Samples collected from the woman and the suspects were sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis.
The DIG said the suspects had confessed to their involvement during interrogation. However, the claims remain subject to the legal process and determination by the court.
He added that another suspect, identified as Ahmed, was still at large and police teams were conducting raids at different locations to arrest him.
According to the DIG, the names of the suspects were placed on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) on the day the incident was reported to prevent them from travelling abroad. He said police had also remained in contact with the victim’s embassy and completed the required investigative and legal formalities.
Responding to questions about the victim’s departure from Pakistan and reports concerning her visa status, the DIG said matters relating to her immigration status fell within the relevant legal and diplomatic framework. He maintained that police had treated her as a complainant and provided the required assistance.
Regarding questions about the circumstances leading to the incident, the DIG said investigators were examining different aspects of the case, including the roles of the arrested woman and other suspects. He stressed that a woman’s past conduct or activities could not justify sexual violence against her.
He said the victim’s mobile phone, allegedly taken by the suspects, had not yet been recovered from the main suspects’ possession.
The DIG added that investigators were examining the circumstances in which the victim was allegedly transported and abandoned, as well as the roles and intentions of the other individuals involved.
He said police would prepare a strong challan for submission to the court and pursue the case to its logical conclusion to ensure that those found guilty were punished in accordance with the law.
