KARACHI: A judicial magistrate has remanded three suspects in police custody for their alleged involvement in subjecting a teenage schoolgirl to gang rape and filming the heinous offence.

The investigating officer (IO) of the case brought the three suspects before the judicial magistrate (Malir) and sought their 14-day physical remand.

He informed the court that the suspects were apprehended after a complaint was filed by the girl’s father.

He said that the police also recovered three mobile phones from them.

The IO informed the magistrate that one of the confiscated phones contained a video showing the suspects sexually assaulting the 14-year-old girl.

Multiple videos of many girls also existed on other devices, which needed to be sent for a forensic analysis in Lahore, he added.

Requesting their physical custody, the IO emphasised the need for further interrogation and apprehending other suspects.

Upon the IO’s request, the court remanded the suspects in police custody until Monday and directed the IO to submit a progress report on the next date.

According to the police, the suspects, who lived near Jafar-i-Tayyar Society, had made a video of the rape and were threatening the victim that they would post the video online.

In her statement to the police, the victim said that she went to the house of a male friend where he, along with other suspects, overpowered her and sexually assaulted her.

A case was registered at the Malir City police station under Sections 375-A (rape), 376 (punishment for rape), 511 (offences punishable with imprisonment for life or for a shorter terms) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2024