Lahore court grants five-day remand in foreign women kidnapping, rape case

A court in Lahore has handed over four suspects to police on a five-day physical remand in a case involving the alleged abduction and rape of two foreign women in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) area.

The suspects have been identified as Raza Dar, Hassan Raza, Sikandar Khan and Sajid Ali.

During the proceedings, police requested physical custody of the suspects, stating that weapons and alleged proceeds of the crime were yet to be recovered and that further investigation was required to complete the probe.

The court was informed that Raza Dar was nominated in the FIR, while three additional suspects were later named in supplementary statements.

Accepting the police request, the court approved a five-day physical remand and directed investigators to complete the inquiry and submit a report. The accused have been ordered to be produced again on 8 July for further proceedings.

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According to sources familiar with the investigation, the foreign nationals and the prime suspect, identified as Raza Dar, were reportedly involved in a financial dispute related to cryptocurrency.

Investigators claim the suspect was due to receive approximately US$1.5 million from the women, an amount estimated at around Rs450 million.

Police are also investigating allegations that Raza Dar, a relative of Deputy PM Ishaq Dar, lured the women to Pakistan under false pretences before allegedly staging a kidnapping. Investigators further claim the suspect included himself in the purported abduction to make the incident appear genuine.

Authorities have stressed that the investigation is ongoing, and the claims regarding the cryptocurrency dispute and the alleged kidnapping plot are currently being examined as part of the inquiry. No final conclusions have been reached, and the allegations remain subject to the outcome of the investigation.