LAHORE: A 22-year-old Azerbaijani woman has told a judicial magistrate that she was sexually assaulted by three men in Lahore’s Defence area after allegedly being made to consume alcohol.
The woman recorded her statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before a judicial magistrate on Monday, with details of the statement emerging on Tuesday.
According to police, the foreign national had travelled to Pakistan for business purposes and was allegedly assaulted at a rented apartment during the night between Friday and Saturday.
Police have arrested two suspects in connection with the case, while efforts are underway to apprehend a third suspect. Authorities said the two mobile phones belonging to the woman have not yet been recovered.
In her statement, the woman said she arrived in Islamabad from Istanbul on September 13 before travelling to Faisalabad, where she stayed for five days. She subsequently went to Lahore, intending to travel to Skardu.
She told the magistrate that after deciding
she could not continue travelling alone, she contacted two women, identified as Nimra and Muskan, and suggested meeting them.
According to her account, she went alone to a cafe at around 11pm, where she met Muskan. She said Muskan informed her that Nimra was waiting for them, after which the two went to meet her.
The woman said they had food at around 2am when two men arrived in a vehicle and Nimra invited them to join the group.
She alleged that Nimra received between Rs20,000 and Rs30,000 from a man identified as Mohsin and offered the money to her, which she declined.
The woman said Mohsin subsequently took her to another room where three men were present. When she asked about Nimra and Muskan, she was allegedly told that they had left.
She told the court that she asked to leave but was prevented from doing so on the grounds that her friends had taken money. She offered to pay Rs30,000 herself but was allegedly told that a larger amount had been taken.
According to her statement, a man identified as Ali Aziz allegedly threatened her and attempted to blackmail her, later saying he would call police emergency helpline 15.
She said she told him to make the call but, after police did not arrive for several minutes, again requested that she be allowed to leave.
The woman further alleged that the three men offered her alcohol, telling her that she would be allowed to leave after drinking.
She claimed that after consuming the alcohol, the men told her to sleep until its effects subsided. She alleged that Mohsin, Ahmed and Ali Aziz subsequently sexually assaulted her.
The woman said she was later taken to another location in a vehicle. She told the magistrate that she was carrying Rs200,000 in cash and an iPhone.
According to her statement, the suspects allegedly told her that her belongings would be returned if she agreed not to report the incident to police.
She said she was eventually pushed out of the vehicle and left without her belongings. She then sought assistance from people nearby and contacted the police.
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