LAHORE - The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday granted bail to Amir Sohail alias Rambo and three others, involved in blackmailing and assaulting TikToker Ayesha Akram at Minar-e-Pakistan.

The court directed the accused to submit surety bonds of Rs100,000 to avail the relief of the bail. Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry passed the orders while hearing post-arrest bail petitions of the accused including Rambo, Sajid, Muhammad Hussain and Muhammad Bilal in the Minar-e-Pakistan case. The defence counsel argued that the court had granted bail to co-accused in the case. He submitted that the police had completed investigations from his clients, and they had been sent to jail on judicial remand.

He submitted that the complainant Ayesha Akram, gave conflicting statements at the time of registration of case and later on. He submitted that all allegations against his clients were baseless. He pleaded with the court to grant the benefit of bail to his clients.

However, the prosecution opposed the bail plea, saying that the accused were found guilty and they did not deserve the benefit of the bail. The court after detailed arguments of parties, granted bail to the accused and directed for submitting surety bonds for the purpose. Lorry Adda police had arrested Amir Sohail alias Rambo and others after Ayesha alleged that Rambo was the mastermind of the incident in which a mob had physically assaulted her on Independence Day. She also accused Rambo of harassing and blackmailing her for money through her objectionable videos. The police had registered the FIR against 400 unidentified people for assaulting the complainant and molesting her. Sections 354-A (assault or use of criminal force against woman and stripping her of her clothes), 382 (theft after preparation made for causing death, hurt or restraint in order to commit the theft), 147 (rioting) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Pakistan Penal Code have been included in the FIR.