LAHORE: A judicial magistrate at the Model Town Court on Wednesday remanded anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan in the police custody for one day for his alleged involvement in a case of monetary fraud.

Nishtar Town police produced Mr Riaz before the magistrate and sought his seven-day physical remand.

However, Magistrate Ka­­mran Zafar granted one-day physical remand of the journalist and orde­red the police to produce him again on Thursday.

Advocate Mian Ali Ashf­­aq argued on behalf of Mr Riaz, opposing the remand.

He contended that the anchorperson had been implicated in a bogus case, adding that the complainant in the case had been a polling agent for Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. The lawyer requested the magistrate to acquit the mediaperson.

According to the FIR, Mr Riaz is accused of taking Rs25 million from complainant Asad Arif, who is the owner of Al Rehman Real Estate Centre. Mr Riaz was arrested on Tuesday night and brought to the Model Town Court in an armoured vehicle.

Separately, a petition was filed before the Lahore High Court against the anchorperson’s arrest.

The petition, filed through Advocate Azhar Siddique, stated that Mr Riaz had been granted bail in all cases against him, but he was arrested at the airport while on his way to perform Haj.

The petition requested the court to seek details of the case in which Mr Riaz had been arrested.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2024