LAHORE: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Thursday extended the physical remand of a woman accused of spreading false information about a rape incident at a private college in Lahore by falsely claiming to be the mother of the alleged victim.
The police presented Sara Khan, the woman in question, before the ATC judge and requested an extension of her physical remand. Investigators confirmed that one mobile phone used by the accused to disseminate the fake news had been recovered, while another phone was yet to be found.
The police argued that further remand was necessary for continued investigation. The ATC judge approved the request, granting another six-day physical remand for the accused woman.
ATC Judge Arshad Javed presided over the hearing, where Sara Khan was brought before the court. The judge ordered that the suspect be presented again on November 7, after her remand period ends.
A case was filed against Khan at the Gulberg police station under the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016. Following the filing of the case, the OCU Model Town police took action after Sara Khan posted a TikTok video that went viral, stirring up further controversy regarding the alleged rape incident. This led to student protests.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) also filed charges against 20 individuals, including journalists and social media influencers, for allegedly spreading false information and defaming the private college involved in the case.
The case was registered following a complaint by the college’s principal, Saadia Javed, who claimed that the accused launched a damaging social media campaign that harmed the college’s reputation.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), investigations revealed no evidence of the alleged rape or the existence of a victim. The inquiry, based on CCTV footage and a security guard’s testimony, found no proof to support the false claims, stating that the accused had stirred unrest among the students.
