Azeri woman says she was ‘sexually assaulted’ after being given alcohol

A 22-year-old Azerbaijani woman testified before a Lahore court that three men sexually assaulted her at a rented flat in Defence area after she was given alcohol.

The woman appeared before a judicial magistrate on Monday and recorded her statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The alleged incident took place after the woman met two women she had contacted in Lahore. She told the magistrate that she had come to Pakistan for business and had travelled to Faisalabad before reaching Lahore.

She said she had planned to travel to Skardu but decided to meet the two women after finding it difficult to travel alone. According to her account, she first met Muskan at a cafe late at night before the two went to meet Nimra. They later had food, during which two men arrived.

The woman alleged that she was later taken to another room by a man identified as Mohsin. She said three men were there and told her that Nimra and Muskan had already left.

She claimed that when she tried to leave, she was stopped and told that her friends had taken money from the men. She said she even offered Rs30,000 to settle the matter but was told the amount owed was higher.

The woman further alleged that Ali Aziz threatened her and tried to pressure her into staying. She said he also threatened to call police. “I told him to make the call. When the police did not come for five minutes, I again asked them to let me go,” she said.

She told the court that the men later offered her alcohol and assured her that she could leave after drinking. “They said they had ordered alcohol and asked me to drink with them. I asked, ‘If I drink, will you let me go?’ They said yes,” she stated.

She alleged that after she drank, she was told to sleep until the effects wore off. She then accused Mohsin, Ahmed and Ali Aziz of sexually assaulting her.

The woman said she was later taken away in a vehicle. She alleged that she had Rs200,000 and an iPhone with her and that the men threatened to withhold her belongings unless she agreed not to approach police.

She said she was eventually left on the roadside without her belongings. She then sought help from people nearby and contacted police.

The case is under investigation and the allegations recorded in the woman’s statement have not been established by a court.