LAHORE: A sessions court on Tuesday indicted eight suspects, including one reportedly linked to a senior minister, in a case of alleged gang rape of two foreign women.

All the suspects, presently in judicial custody, were produced before the trial court for the indictment proceedings.

Additional District & Sessions Judge (AD&SJ) Rafaqat Ali Gondal framed the charges against the suspects, who pleaded not guilty.

The judge directed the prosecution to present its witnesses on Dec 9 so the formal trial proceedings could be commenced.

Separately, the judge gave the last opportunity to the prosecution to present its arguments on the post-arrest bail petitions of three of the suspects in the case.

The judge observed that the prosecution had availed multiple opportunities to argue the bail petitions on one pretext or the other.

The judge adjourned the bail hearing till Nov 11 (today) with a clear warning to the prosecution to present its arguments, otherwise, the petitions would be decided in light of the case record.

Advocate Salman Shahid had already concluded his arguments on behalf of the petitioners/suspects.

Defence-C police in its challan (investigation report) had cleared five suspects, including the one linked to the senior political figure, of sexual assault charges and implicated them in minor offences of illegal detention and extortion.

The police charged three other suspects, who were allegedly low-paid employees of one of the key suspects, with sexually assaulting the women.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2026