Staff Reporter
Two men accused of harassing and assaulting a couple have been handed over to the police after an Islamabad court extended their physical remand on Friday.
Mohib Bangash and Bilal Marwat were arrested last week along with Autoland co-owner Usman Mirza, the prime suspect in the case.
Bangash and Marwat were presented in front of Judicial Magistrate Waqar Hussain Gondal.
On Tuesday, Mirza and his three accomplices, identified as Farhan, Hafiz Atta, and Idris, were presented before the court after the completion of their physical remand.
Duty judge Mian Azhar Iqbal heard the case and approved their judicial remand. The suspects will stay in prison till July 30.
Advocate Hassan Javed appeared on behalf of the couple. Mirza has been accused of forcing the woman to strip naked and shot her video two months ago, which he has been using to blackmail her since. His accomplices used weapons to threaten the couple.
Additional sections, including those of rape and extortion, were added to the FIR against the accused after the couple recorded their statements separately under Section 161 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Usman Mirza is the co-owner of Autoland, a showroom in Islamabad that deals with new and used cars, real estate, and rent-a-car.
His Facebook page says he studied computer science at Punjab College of Commerce in Islamabad.
The page is filled with short, slow-motion videos showing him walking with an ‘entourage’ of young men. In one post he says, “Come become my disciple and I’ll show you how to rule”. In other videos, he is seen with men carrying guns.
On May 27, he posted a video on Facebook saying that his cell phone might be turned off for a while as some people had booked him in a case.
He expected that his bail would be cancelled and so he would not be reachable for 15 to 20 days. It is unclear if this is related to his arrest in the harassment case.
