Karachi court extends alleged drug queenpin Pinky’s remand in murder case

KARACHI: A Karachi court on Monday extended the physical remand of alleged drug dealer Anmol alias Pinky by four days in a murder case registered at the Baghdadi police station, directing investigators to submit a progress report at the next hearing.

Judicial Magistrate (South) ordered police to produce the suspect again on May 22 and instructed authorities to ensure that her interrogation is conducted in the presence of a lady police officer.

The court further directed that the accused be examined by a lady medico-legal officer if she complains of torture during custody, and sought a medical report for the next hearing.

During the proceedings, the prosecution argued that Pinky had been nominated in a murder case and that her mobile phone needed to be sent for forensic analysis. Investigators told the court that the suspect allegedly operated a network of riders responsible for supplying narcotics to clients across Karachi.

Police requested a nine-day physical remand to interrogate the accused and trace other members of the alleged drug network.

However, the defence counsel opposed the request, arguing that there were concerns the suspect could be implicated in additional cases. The lawyer also claimed that Pinky was being pressured to name politicians and influential personalities during interrogation.

The defence further requested the court to order a medical examination, alleging that the suspect was subjected to torture while in custody.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court approved a four-day extension in physical remand.

Pinky was reportedly arrested on May 12 from her apartment in Karachi’s Garden area during a joint raid conducted by police and a civilian intelligence agency.

Authorities claimed that cocaine, other narcotics and weapons worth approximately Rs1.5 million were recovered during the operation. Police alleged that the suspect was running an organised narcotics supply network in Karachi and other cities.

The accused, however, denied the allegations and maintained that she had actually been detained in Lahore nearly 15 days before being shifted to Karachi.

Investigators earlier told the court that 1,540 grammes of cocaine and 6,970 grammes of raw material used in narcotics production were recovered during the raid.

Sources familiar with the investigation claimed that Pinky disclosed during interrogation that she allegedly paid hundreds of thousands of rupees in monthly bribes to different police stations in Karachi.

According to investigators, the suspect also admitted to involvement in narcotics sales worth over Rs20 million every month in Karachi.

In a recent press conference, Karachi Additional Inspector General (AIG) Azad Khan said investigators had uncovered evidence suggesting the involvement of foreign nationals and Lahore-based women in the alleged drug network.

He said the network included six African nationals as well as several women operating from Lahore, adding that raids were underway to arrest the remaining suspects and dismantle the wider network.