KARACHI: Anmol alias Pinky, who was arrested for allegedly running a drug network, informed a local court in Karachi that she had remained in custody for nearly 22 to 23 days after being picked up from Lahore.
The suspect was produced before the South Judicial Magistrate after the completion of her earlier physical remand. The investigating officer requested an extension in physical custody, arguing that further time was needed to make progress in the investigation, while the defence counsel strongly opposed the request.
During the hearing, the suspected drug queenpin told the court that she was picked up from Lahore by six police officials and kept in custody for around 15 days before being shifted to Karachi.
The court questioned why she had not raised any protest at the time of being taken into custody.
“I was being tortured,” Pinky replied.
She further alleged that her former husband was responsible for her detention, prompting the court to question the motive. Pinky responded that she had left him and had separated from him around three months earlier.
Meanwhile, the Judicial Magistrate South reserved its verdict on the police request seeking an extension of physical remand in a case registered at the Baghdadi police station.
The court also inquired from the investigating officer about the whereabouts of the initial order. The IO replied that it was available in the police mobile phone, which drew the court’s irritation, with the judge remarking on the standard of investigation being conducted.
The investigating officer informed the court that financial transactions worth millions of rupees had been uncovered during the investigation. He added that the suspect’s national identity card had been blocked and that mobile numbers had been obtained using the identities of innocent individuals.
The IO further stated that two additional suspects had already been arrested and would be produced before the court, adding that the broader network was yet to be apprehended.
The defence counsel argued that the suspect was not produced on the scheduled date of May 15, stating that Anmol had been moved between different locations for nearly 22 days. The lawyer also alleged that the case proceedings were being mishandled.
Meanwhile, women police personnel attempted to cover the suspect’s face while presenting her in court. However, Pinky repeatedly removed the covering, attempting to speak during the proceedings.
As she was being taken into custody, the suspect raised her voice at police officials inside the court premises, saying: “I can’t breathe, don’t put a cloth over my face,” objecting to the face covering.
Judicial remand:
Separately, the suspect was produced before a local court in Malir in a case registered at the Sachal police station. The court sent Pinky to jail on judicial remand and directed the investigating officer to submit the challan within 14 days.
Moreover, the prosecution has decided to challenge the decision of the Judicial Magistrate Malir. The acting prosecutor general said that a criminal revision petition will be filed against the Malir court’s decision.