Islamabad police have expanded the list of charges against the suspects from the couple harassment case to include charges of rape, extortion, wrongful confinement, and sexual abuse.

The incident caught everyone’s attention on July 6th when a video of a group of men physically, verbally and sexually harassing a couple went viral on social media. The case’s FIR was registered on July 6th. Since then, according to the police, 6 of the suspects have been arrested while 2 have not yet been caught.

Originally, the FIR was registered under section 341 (wrongful restraint), 354A (assaulting and stripping a woman of her clothes), 506 (ii) (criminal intimidation) and 509 (word, act or gesture meant to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

In the latest update, Islamabad police Deputy Inspector General, Afzal Kausar, said in a press conference on Monday that sections of the PPC have been added. Now, the charges include Section 375-A, 375-D (rape), 384 (extortion), 342 (wrongful confinement), 114 (abettor present when offence is committed), 395 (dacoity), 496-A (enticing or taking away or detaining with criminal intent a woman), and 377-B (sexual abuse).

He added that the man and the woman from the video have recorded their statements separately. DIG Kausar also commented on the inclusion of the rape charge, saying, “Some TV channels have connected the new sections with confirmation of rape, which is a misinterpretation.” According to him, the new sections have been added because the suspects forced the couple to perform immoral acts in front of everyone.

Further, a police official informed Samaa earlier that the men had blackmailed the woman into giving them RS 1.3 million, leading to the extortion charge.

Police have confirmed that multiple other videos of a similar nature involving other couples were also pulled from the phones of the suspects. The investigation is ongoing and further developments are expected.