An Islamabad district and sessions court on Sunday extended the remand of a suspect, who allegedly threatened and attempted to abduct social media influencer Samiya Hijab.
The suspect was arrested on Monday and a case was registered in the capital’s Shalimar Police Station at her complaint under Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 365 (Kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 392 (punishment for robbery), 500 (punishment for defamation), 509 and 511 of the Pakistan Penal Code. He was later remanded in police custody by a judicial magistrate.
According to a copy of the court order issued today, available with Dawn.com, police requested that the suspect be further remanded for eight days, but the court ordered three days.
“Learned counsel for the accused has opposed the request of the IO (investigating officer) and submitted an application that on a previous date, two days [of] physical remand was granted, thus the accused was supposed to be produced on [September 4], however, has been produced today,” the order read.
The court ordered that the suspect be produced before it on September 10.
The hearing
The suspect was produced in court before Duty Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Azhar Nadeem today after completing five days of physical remand. Police stated that the suspect had a two-day remand before his defence counsel, Chaudhry Zubair Gujjar, noted that the suspect had been produced after five days.
“We can see the first remand order,” Gujjar argued, to which police responded by saying that the two-day remand was a clerical error that was quickly resolved.
Meanwhile, the suspect’s transaction history with the social media influencer, as well as a video statement of her addressing her parents, were presented before the court.
“The suspect and the plaintiff are engaged,” Gujjar stated, showing photographs of their engagement.
However, the prosecution said that Rs45,000 had been recovered from the suspect and that his alleged accomplices needed to be arrested.
“[The suspect] got bail in one case but was deliberately arrested in another case,” Gujjar argued. “The suspect was in the Jinnah Super area at the time of the incident.
“When [the suspect] demanded money back from Samiya Hijab, false receipts were given,” he added.
The influencer alleged in a first information report (FIR) that the suspect had stalked her for several days. She added that last Sunday at 6:30pm, an attempt was made to forcefully take her out of the house.
“Today’s incident further escalated when he attempted to forcibly abduct me from my house while I was returning his gifts. This amounts to abduction, harassment, and assault under the law. For evidence, I have CCTV footage,” she was quoted as saying in the FIR.
