A local court in Lahore on Wednesday approved a further five-day physical remand of Rida Fatima, the mother accused of killing her three children.

Judicial Magistrate Syed Irshad Hussain heard the case at the Model Town Court.

The accused was presented before the court by the CCD after the expiry of her previous remand.

The court granted the extension of physical remand and allowed investigators to continue the probe into the killings.

Earlier, Rida was remanded in police custody for five days by a Lahore court on Friday, as investigators continued to probe the case that shocked the local community.

The accused, Rida Fatima, was presented before Judicial Magistrate Irshad Hussain Sabzwari at the Model Town Court.

The court approved a five-day physical remand at the request of police, who had sought 14 days to carry out further investigation.

Police told the court that DNA, polygraph and medical tests of the accused were necessary.

The investigation officer said the remand was required to complete inquiries and clarify all aspects of the incident.

The case includes a five-year-old, a four-year-old and a one-and-a-half-year-old.

According to neighbours, the children’s father, Ramzan, had been outside the house at the time of the incident.

They said the father rushed back to the house after hearing a scream, followed by other people from the neighbourhood.

Police had registered a case against the mother and, after postmortem examinations, handed over the bodies to the heirs.

The bodies had been transported to their native town of Jhang, where funeral prayers were expected to be held before burial.

Police said additional CCTV footage had emerged showing the accused leaving the house and entering the street after the incident.

Authorities alleged she had attempted to alter the crime scene and mislead investigators.

According to sources, she later returned and called emergency services along with local residents.