Who is Ayyan?
21-year-old Ayyan was ranked amongst the 10 most beautiful women in the world in 2014.
She has now spent a better half of this year in a Rawalpindi jail.
Ayyan started modelling at the age of 16 and endorsed many top brands in Pakistan. She also made her mark as a singer after releasing a music video and single last year.
Why was she Arrested?
Ayyan was arrested on March 14 this year at the Islamabad airport on charges of money laundering.
According to reports, she was found carrying $500,000 in her suitcase as she tried to leave the country to fly to Dubai. The legal limit of cash that can be carried out of Pakistan is $10,000 according to State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) foreign exchange regulation.
She has been in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail since her arrest.
Case so far
Ayyan defended herself saying she acquired the money lawfully through a property deal but was unaware of Customs rules.
Ayyan’s initial bail application was rejected on March 31 by the Lahore High Court.
Her judicial custody was extended till May 28 by a court in Rawalpindi today. The court also adjourned proceedings on a bail petition filed by Ayyan’s lawyer and a money laundering reference by Customs intelligence.
Geo reports that she has appeared in the court eight times since her arrest.
Ayyan was involved in a tussle with a man who got too close for comfort while trying to take her picture outside the Rawalpindi court today.
Meanwhile the investigation’s scope has been made wider with the allegations of more people being involved in the alleged racket. The co-accused have been identified as Dubai-based businessman Muhammad Awais and property dealer Mumtaz, reports Express Tribune.
Earlier reports had suggested that Ayyan was getting VVIP treatment inside the jail, including a well-furnished room with a TV set, refrigerator and a mobile phone. The jail authorities, however, denied this.
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