Islamabad court remands suspects in alleged mall rape case

Police say investigation underway, legal action initiated against accused

A local court in Islamabad remanded two suspects in police custody for three days on Wednesday in connection with an alleged rape case reported at a private shopping mall within the jurisdiction of Margalla police station.

The accused, identified as Faisal Jalal and Hafeezullah, were presented before Judicial Magistrate Mureed Abbas, who approved the physical remand following a police request for medical examination and further investigation.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered on the complaint of the victim, the woman had come to Islamabad from her village in search of employment. She stated that she had been looking for a job through Facebook when she was contacted by a call centre offering a position.

Read: Rape cases declared non-compoundable

On October 21, she was allegedly invited by a man named Faisal to a private shopping mall, where another suspect, Hafeezullah, met her and took her to a flat. The complaint added that after a brief conversation, the suspects allegedly assaulted her.

The woman told police that she was also slapped and punched during the incident.

She reported the matter to the police through the emergency helpline 15, after which officers reached the scene and arrested both suspects.

Police said an investigation is underway, and legal proceedings have been initiated against the accused.