LAHORE: Police have arrested the main suspect in the alleged gang-rape of a 20-year-old Azerbaijani woman in Lahore’s Defence area, while Shahdara police have detained six more people and handed them over to Defence-C police for questioning.
According to police, the six detained individuals are close associates of the main suspects and had been in contact with those allegedly involved in the incident. Investigators are questioning them as part of the ongoing probe.
The woman’s medical examination found injury marks on her shoulder and knee. DNA samples were also collected from her body, while marks on specific parts of her body were described in the report as consistent with the alleged assault.
Police said the victim’s statement, the statements of the arrested and detained individuals, the medical report, mobile phone data and other evidence were being examined to establish the circumstances of the incident.
According to the preliminary investigation, the woman had arrived in Lahore a few days before the alleged incident. In her statement, she said two unidentified women took her to a café on the night of September 25, where three other people were already present.
She alleged that she was given a substance at the café and subsequently sexually assaulted by several people. She said she was later left near the airport, while the alleged perpetrators fled.
Police said discrepancies had emerged in the woman’s travel history and some parts of her statement. Investigators are also examining her reported visits to Lahore and her stated reasons for travelling to the city in connection with a clothing business.
Police said records of the woman’s contacts with several people in Lahore had also emerged and were being examined as part of the investigation.
