Azeri Woman Records Statement Before Lahore Magistrate in Alleged Gang-Rape Case

Azeri Woman Records Statement Before Lahore Magistrate in Alleged Gang-Rape Case

A 20-year-old Azerbaijani woman who alleges she was gang-raped in Lahore has recorded her statement before a judicial magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

According to police and Dawn, the woman had travelled to Pakistan for business purposes and alleged that three men sexually assaulted her at a rented flat in a private housing society near Raiwind.

The statement was recorded at Lahore’s Cantonment Courts under tight security, with the magistrate directing unrelated individuals to leave the courtroom before proceedings began. The statement continued for more than an hour.

Defence C police have registered a case against three unidentified suspects. Police say the suspects have been identified and are being sought, while a request has been made to place their names on the Provisional National Identification List after they allegedly left Lahore.

Police said the location of one suspect was traced to Sialkot, while two relatives and a domestic servant of one of the suspects were also taken into custody as part of the investigation. Police said the vehicle allegedly used in the incident was recovered.

Authorities said the investigation is being conducted jointly by the Crime Control Department, police operations and investigation wings, with teams working to arrest the main suspects.

The case has drawn attention to the security of foreign visitors in Lahore and comes after another reported case involving foreign women in the Defence C police station area earlier this year. The allegations remain subject to investigation and due legal process.