LAHORE: Amina Urooj, a prime suspect in organising the alleged abduction of famous dramatist Khalilur Rehman Qamar last week, has been sent on a three-day physical remand by a local court in Lahore.
Judicial magistrate Nabila Aamir on Tuesday conducted a hearing on the dramatist’s complaint at the district katchehri after he was “kidnapped, tortured and demanded to pay a ransom worth Rs10 million” by a group of people, including women when he went to meet Urjooj on the midnight of July 15.
Following Qamar’s complaint, the Organised Crime Unit (OCU) of Model Town apprehended 12 suspects, including the prime suspect and 11 others, including women.
The announcement was made by the OCU DIG during a press conference where Qamar was also present a day ago.
The arrested individuals include Amina Urooj, Mamoon Haider, Zeeshan Qayyum, Javed Iqbal, Tanveer Ahmed, Falak Sher, Qaiser Abbas, Rasheed Ahmed, Mian Khan, Babar Ali, Shamail Bibi, and Maryam Shehzadi.
Among them, Amina Urooj, who allegedly orchestrated the kidnap and robbery, was also taken into custody.
The Lahore court approved a 3-day physical remand of the prime suspect and sent 11 other accused to jail for an identification parade.
In yesterday’s press conference, the DIG claimed that the suspects kidnapped Qamar and demanded a ransom of Rs10 million. When the ransom was not paid, they subjected him to torture, The News reported.
The swift action by the police led to the suspects’ arrest and the recovery of three vehicles used in the crime, a wireless set, modern rifles, pistols, and dozens of bullets.
The case was registered at Sundar Police Station in Lahore on Qamar’s complaint.
The DIG disclosed that the operation to arrest the suspects was aided by modern technology and IT experts.
The accused withdrew money from his ATM and when their demands were not met, they blindfolded him and transported him to Nankana Sahib using three vehicles. They even fired shots near his head to intimidate him further.
Eventually, they abandoned him in a remote area and left his car there. He also revealed that two more suspects are at large and that the group had previously targeted two other individuals.
The police are currently in contact with those victims to assist them in filing complaints for legal action.
Addressing the same presser, the renowned screenwriter was questioned about reasons for meeting a woman in late night hours to which he replied: “Doctors asked me to avoid the sun for five years due to my illness, therefore, I went to meet her at night over the woman’s invitation.”
He added that he did not force anyone by sending [mobile phone] messages but the woman insisted to meet him as she was willing to work in a drama.
“I used to meet people at night and there is no discrimination of gender in these meetings. I met her [Amina] at 4:40am,” he added.
The playwright expressed his gratitude to the Lahore police for their prompt and effective action in bringing the criminals to justice.
