Rawalpindi suspect remanded into police custody in alleged rape of 16-year-old seminary student

• Police arrest the suspect, Mufti Shahnawaz, from the court premises.
• Another suspect, Ishrat Hanif, has acquired a stay from the court and has been instructed to cooperate with FIA.
• Shahnawaz was arrested on August 23 for his alleged involvement in the rape.

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RAWALPINDI: An additional district and sessions court in Rawalpindi on Wednesday remanded a suspect — who had earlier obtained interim bail — into police custody for his alleged involvement in the rape of a 16-year-old seminary student in Pirwadhai.

The police requested the court to grant them custody of the suspect, Mufti Shahnawaz, following which the court granted the request and the suspect was arrested by the police.

According to sources within the police, the police will present the suspect before a judicial magistrate tomorrow to seek his physical remand.

Read more: Police arrest Rawalpindi cleric for allegedly raping 16-year-old female student

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police Zunaira Azfar said that a stay was granted by the court in the arrest of another suspect, Ishrat Hanif. She said that the court had directed Ishrat to cooperate with the Joint Investigation Team in the probe, however Ishrat "has been non cooperative".

The case

Mufti Shahnawaz, a seminary teacher, was arrested on August 23, for allegedly raping a 16-year-old female seminary student, but he obtained interim bail till August 30.

The victim had alleged that a female teacher at the seminary was also involved in facilitating the prime suspect and that another student was also previously raped.

A case was registered at a police station in Pirwadhai on August 17, a week before Shahnawaz's arrest.