LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday allowed more time to the police to hold identification parade of co-suspect in the motorway gang rape case.

The jail officials presented co-suspect Shafqat Ali alias Bagga before the court amid strict security arrangements. The investigating officer requested the court to allow more time for the identification parade of the suspect. He said prime suspect Abid Ali was still at large and recovery of a pistol and a club had not been made yet.

Presiding Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta sent the suspect to the judicial lock-up till Oct 13 and directed the IO to ensure the process of the identification parade.

On the previous hearing, the IO had told the court that the suspect was not nominated in the FIR. He said the mobile phone and the SIM card used by the suspect at the time of the occurrence along with the call detail record had been recovered.

He said the suspect was arrested on suspicion and later his swabs were matched with the samples recovered from the victim. The IO had also told the court that the suspect confessed to the crime.

Gujjarpura police had lodged the FIR No.1369/20 under sections 376, 392 and 427 of Pakistan Penal Code and section 7 of the Anti Terrorism Act, 1997.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2020