LAHORE: A judicial magistrate discharged three women arrested in a case involving an altercation with customs officials at the Lahore airport, and ordered release of the suspects Noor Fatima, Saman Khalid and Alisha Malik, residents of Hafizabad.
The magistrate also issued a show-cause notice to the Investigating Officer (IO) for his negligence.
The incident in question took place a day earlier at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, where a physical scuffle broke out between the female passengers and the customs officials after the customs officials recovered 40 cameras and 40kg bridal dresses from the luggage of the women.
Both sides allegedly slapped each other, and customs women officials reportedly dragged the passengers by their hair and locked them in custody.
The magistrate said that the IO neither visited the crime scene nor submitted the recovered items in court and failed to collect evidence in the case.
The magistrate also noted that the IO did not record statements of eyewitnesses present at the scene, nor did he obtain or submit the CCTV footage. The magistrate found no incriminating material against the women suspects and also dismissed a request of the IO of sending the women suspects to jail on judicial remand.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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