LAHORE: A judicial magistrate on Tuesday sent a woman to jail on judicial remand in a 'controversial' FIR registered here over alleged theft of millions of rupees in Manchester, UK.

The Gulshan-i-Ravi police registered a case on the complaint of Mian Shaukat, a resident of Baghbanpura. He alleged Wafa Sohail, the suspect, was maid at his son Usman's house in Manchester. He alleged the woman flew to Pakistan after stealing precious ornaments and UK currency from the house of Usman.

He said the Manchester police refused to lodge a case due to escape of the suspect.

The local police arrested Ms Sohail and produced her before the magistrate concerned on Tuesday. The investigation officer told the magistrate that physical custody of the suspect was not required. At this, the presiding officer sent the suspect to jail on judicial remand.

Legal experts said the police had wrongly registered the case. They said there was no provision in law to lodge a case over an incident occurred beyond Pakistan.

Advocate Azhar Siddique said sections 1 and 2 of the PPC clarified that nobody could be booked under this Code for an offence beyond Pakistan.

Barrister Ali Zafar also called the FIR an unlawful one. He said the judicial magistrate had the power to acquit the suspect in view of the illegality committed by the police. He said the law allowed court to take note of the illegality in any case presented before it.

Published in Dawn, September 17th , 2014