LAHORE – The Crime Control Department (CCD) took Ahmed Tanveer into custody at a Lahore court on Saturday in connection with the alleged rape of a foreign woman, Diana, despite his interim bail in the case.
A hearing on Tanveer’s interim bail application was held at the sessions court, where the investigating officer informed the court that the suspect had not been joining the investigation.
The court directed the investigating officer to question Tanveer inside the courtroom. In response, the suspect’s lawyer argued that the foreign woman had stated that Tanveer was not the person she had accused of the alleged assault.
The court extended Tanveer’s interim bail until October 27.
Tensions escalated outside the courtroom when police personnel and the suspect’s associates exchanged heated arguments and scuffled. Police attempted to take Tanveer into custody, triggering a physical altercation between the two sides. Police subsequently detained some of the suspect’s associates and shifted them to a police station.
Meanwhile, Diana, an Azerbaijani national who had allegedly been sexually assaulted in Lahore, has declared Tanveer innocent in a new video statement and documents sent through her embassy.
She said Tanveer had no involvement in the alleged assault and claimed that she had given her initial statement under pressure. She also said she had wanted to appear before the court to record her statement but was told that her life was in danger and was forcibly sent out of Pakistan.
Diana further stated that she had forgiven the other suspects, identified as Mohsin and Uzair, and did not wish to pursue the matter any further.
However, Lahore Deputy Inspector General of Police (Investigation) Syed Zeeshan Raza said attempts were being made to influence the investigation by circulating the woman’s statement on social media.
He maintained that Diana’s statement had already been recorded before a court under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).