Lahore court indicts eight suspects in foreign women rape case

A Lahore court has indicted eight men, including Raza Dar, in the alleged abduction and sexual assault of two foreign women.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Rafaqat Ali Gondal framed the charges, and all eight suspects pleaded not guilty, moving the foreign women rape case towards trial.

What happens next in the foreign women rape case?

The court has directed prosecutors to present their witnesses on December 9, when testimony is scheduled to begin. The prosecution will then be required to present evidence and witnesses to establish the charges against the accused, who have denied the allegations, which remain to be tested in court.

The suspects were brought before the court from judicial custody when Judge Gondal formally framed the charges.

What happened with the bail applications in the case?

In a separate development during the proceedings, the judge granted post-arrest bail to suspect Sajid, who is accused of destroying evidence linked to the case. The court also gave prosecutors a final opportunity to present arguments on the post-arrest bail applications of three other suspects.

The hearing was adjourned until November 11. The judge warned that the applications would be decided on the basis of the available case record if the prosecution failed to submit its arguments. Defense lawyer Salman Shahid had already completed arguments on behalf of the suspects seeking bail.

What did the police report say about the suspects?

According to an investigation report submitted by Defense-C police, five of the suspects were cleared of the sexual assault allegations but were instead implicated in lesser offences, including illegal detention and extortion. One of the five was reportedly linked to a senior political figure.

The remaining three suspects, described in the police report as low-paid employees of one of the main accused, were charged with sexually assaulting the women. The case centers on allegations that the two foreign women were abducted and sexually assaulted.