Police arrest key suspect from upscale Lahore neighbourhood
LAHORE: A medical examination has confirmed that a foreign woman was raped in Lahore’s Defence area, police said on Monday.
The woman, a national of Azerbaijan, was allegedly sexually assaulted by three men two days earlier. Police arrested Mohsin, described as a key suspect in the gang rape case, from an upscale part of the city on Sunday. Two more people were detained on suspicion of helping the accused, while raids are under way to trace the remaining two suspects, according to a police statement issued on Monday.
Police said two local women had brought three male friends to a cafe, where the foreign woman was allegedly given a drink laced with a drug before being assaulted on the night between Friday and Saturday. The suspects then abandoned her near the airport and fled.
Woman’s travel history
As part of the investigation, police outlined the woman’s movements in and out of Pakistan. She first arrived in Lahore from Tashkent on March 4 and stayed with Rida Hameed, before leaving for Baku on March 20. She returned on May 22, flying in from Baku and staying with Rashid Ali. Her third visit to Lahore began around 15 days ago.
According to police, she came to Pakistan for business connected to the clothing trade and regularly travelled between Lahore and Faisalabad for work.
Police added that the vehicle allegedly used to abduct her was recovered on Sunday from the house of a relative of the main suspect, who has also gone into hiding. Investigators further noted that the woman can speak and understand Urdu.