KARACHI:
A Karachi court on Saturday granted police remand of suspected drug peddler Anmol alias Pinky until May 22 in one of several cases against her.
Karachi police on Tuesday arrested a woman accused of running one of the city’s most organized narcotics supply networks. The suspect, identified as Anmol alias Pinky, was arrested during a joint operation carried out by the city police and a civil agency from an apartment in the Garden area.
On Wednesday, Karachi police secured the suspect’s pretrial detention for three days, further intensifying what authorities described as a growing narcotics investigation with extensive links.
Various courts have heard several cases involving her, including drug and murder proceedings. Magistrates from South, Central and Malir districts reserved their orders on police applications seeking remand of Pinky in 15 cases, including one related to murder allegations.
In municipal court, proceedings included drug and murder cases against her.
Read: New drug case attributed to “Pinky” as investigation widens
The central court magistrate remanded Anmol to the custody of the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) till May 22 in a drug case. The court also ordered the investigating officer to submit a progress report in the next hearing.
During the proceedings in the South Court, the police presented her before the duty magistrate, where she claimed that she had been a victim of violence and falsely implicated in several cases.
“My name is Anmol. I was detained for 20 days. I was subjected to a bag full of drugs. Six men put me in a vehicle and took me away. After 15 days, I was handed over to the police. I am forced to name people under pressure,” she told the court.
She further alleged that she was asked to identify people whose names were dictated to her.
The court observed that his statement was not properly recorded and ordered the investigating officer to produce the previous court orders. The magistrate also inquired about the health condition of the accused.
Anmol further claimed in court that “around 20-25 cases” were pending against her and that she had been threatened to take away her family if she did not agree to “everything”.
She also claimed that a person from Banigala was mentioned and that she was being pressured to name him. According to her statement, she was first taken in a van and told how to proceed, despite the fact that the house where her arrest was shown was “not mine”.
Learn more: Karachi police arrest drug lord “Pinky”
The magistrate ordered that previous court orders and reconsideration be presented to him.
In a murder case registered at the Baghdadi police station, the investigator requested further remand, informing the court that further investigations had been carried out.
The magistrate asked the police officer what investigation had been carried out so far.
In response, the investigating officer said the police had examined Anmol and registered 11 more cases against her. He added that drugs were recovered from her ID card and that she had already been sent to prison in three cases. The police officer added that she had been on the run for a long time.
The magistrate granted a two-day extension in the murder case registered at Baghdadi police station. In the other 12 cases, the court ordered her to be sent to prison and asked the investigator for progress reports.
The magistrate also asked about the absconding accused Qamar, to which the investigating officer replied that he was wanted under section 512.
During the hearing, some lawyers claimed to represent her, but Anmol told the court: “They are not my lawyers.”
The magistrate ordered him to speak only to his own lawyer and expressed his displeasure with the situation.
Read also: “Stop us if you can”: Drug queen Pinky defies the system
Meanwhile, in Malir court, Anmol was produced in a drug recovery case registered at Sachal police station. The investigator informed the court that drugs were recovered from a house upon his identification.
The accused denied the allegations and told the court, “I am involved in false cases. I was taken from Lahore.”
The Malir court sent her to judicial custody in the Sachal case and ordered the investigating officer to submit a complaint within 14 days.
The prosecution then decided to challenge the decision of the Malir court. Sindh Acting Attorney General Muntazir Mehdi said a criminal review petition would be filed.
