Police say all 5 suspects involved in Lahore girls' kidnapping arrested, remanded

DIG Investigation Shariq Jamal told a presser that the suspects are being interrogated, and that the police have visited the crime scene in Lahore and Sahiwal and collected all the evidence.

Jamal said the police had brought the girls back to Lahore from Sahiwal where they were "sold as part of a deal" between a man named Shehzad and another man.

The police official said Sahiwal police had raided Shehzad's brothel on August 3 from where the girls were found and a case in this regard was registered in the city.

The girls were presented before a court today and with their consent, they were later handed over to the Punjab Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPBW), Jamal said.

To a question, he said their medical tests were being conducted and interviews were underway, however, medical reports are awaited to determine rape.

"We did not waste a second in this investigation," the official said when asked whether the police showed negligence and delayed the matter.

The DIG told a questioniare that the girls "were not happy at their homes and that is why, with their consent, we have sent them to the child protection bureau".

He said it was not clear whether the suspects were keeping more girls hostage. If such is the case, they will all be recovered, he said.

As the case remained much active on media, the suspects called on the helpline number 15 through an unknown number after which Sahiwal police recovered the girls and handed them over to the Lahore police, the DIG said.

According to police, the girls reached Gulshan Ravi after taking ride of Orange Line Metro Train. Their neighbour Umar Farooq attempted to bring them back home, but rickshaw driver and his accomplices kept the vicitms roaming on different roads.

Accused Qasim continued dealing to sell the girls with his accomplice Shahzad. Both of them took the girls to Sahiwal.   

-- Report by Fraz Nizam