Lahore police arrest key suspect in Azeri woman gang-rape case

LAHORE police have arrested one of three suspects accused of gang-raping an Azeri woman, according to reports. The victim, a 20-year-old woman, had traveled to Pakistan for business purposes and was allegedly assaulted in a rented flat near Raiwind on the night of Friday to Saturday. Deputy Inspector General (Investigation) Zeeshan Raza confirmed the arrest of the key suspect, stating that two others have also been identified and police teams are working to apprehend them.

The victim's medical report corroborates the sexual assault allegations. Lahore police had previously requested federal authorities to place the names of the prime suspects on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL), as they had fled Lahore shortly after the incident. Two close relatives and a domestic servant of one suspect have been taken into custody.

The vehicle used in the assault was also seized. The woman recorded her statement before a judicial magistrate at the Cantonment Courts, a process that lasted over an hour. This is the second such case involving a foreign woman being gang-raped in the Defence C police station area within the last four months; in June, two women from the Netherlands and Venezuela were reportedly abducted and sexually assaulted in the area.