Trail 3 rape suspect moves bail plea

Claims innocence; says he was maliciously implicated in case

ISLAMABAD:

The main accused, arrested on charges of raping a girl on a popular hiking trail in Islamabad’s Margalla Hills, has filed a post-arrest bail plea in a local court.

Noman Razzak, who was rounded up by the federal police using technical means on Sunday, July 6, approached the court of a Sessions Judge who fixed the matter in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Adnan Rasool for a hearing on July 26.

The bail application, filed by the defence counsel on behalf of the accused, argues that he is innocent and an attempt is being made to implicate him in a malicious case.

“The purpose of the case is to harass the applicant while humiliating him in the society as well as in the eyes of the law,” the bail plea contended, adding the complainant nominated the accused in the case to defame him.

While seeking the post-arrest bail for the accused, the plea requested the court to issue orders for the immediate release of the accused.

The Islamabad Capital Police have already termed the rape claim in the forest of Trail 3 an attempt by a swindler to settle scores with his former partner.

In a statement issued earlier this week, the police said the nominated accused quarrelled with his partner Anwar, who then hired a gang to frame Noman in a rape case.

According to the initial complaint lodged on July 13, a woman told Kohsar police that she was raped on Trail 3. She said she had come to Islamabad from Sheikhupura after being promised a job by Noman. The report stated that she was taken to a secluded part of the trail, where she was raped. The main accused was arrested on Sunday.

Islamabad Capital City Police Officer (ICCPO) Dr Akbar Nasir Khan took notice of the incident and issued orders to arrest the accused as soon as possible and solve the case on merit.

Following the ICCPO directives, a police team under the supervision of senior police officers conducted a thorough investigation of all the facts using scientific and technical resources and the rape story turned out to be false.

During interrogation, it was revealed that the accused Noman quarrelled with his partner Anwar, who hired people to take revenge.

The group included a woman who went by the name of Sidra and claimed to be a journalist, a Rawalpindi resident called Saima, another man Shakeel Ahmed who claimed to be the bureau chief of a newspaper, and one fake police officer who called himself Manzoorul Haq and identified himself as a sub-inspector of the Punjab police, said sources privy to the investigation.

Anwar apparently contacted Saima and tasked her with getting Numan charged with rape. She hired the Sheikhupura resident, Sidra, to make the rape claim, they said.

Police sources said the accused and his family were to be blackmailed and extorted through the videos.

The investigation further revealed that it is a gang that blackmails and extorts money from people. There are two cases filed against Sidra in Sheikhupura and Muridke while Anwar-ul-Haq, an operative of the group, is a former accused.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 22^nd, 2023.