Kidnap-and-assault case: Three suspects' DNA matches with foreign woman

A significant development has emerged in the investigation into the abduction and sexual assault of two foreign women in Lahore, with forensic testing linking three suspects to one of the complainants, the 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Monday.

According to investigative sources, police submitted DNA samples from eight suspects to a forensic laboratory for examination. Initial results have identified matches between three suspects and one of the foreign women involved in the case.

Sources said that a suspect identified as Nawaz was among those whose DNA matched the foreigner’s sample. Investigators claim that he was the first suspect involved in the assault.

Investigative officials stated that forensic analysis of the remaining five DNA samples is continuing and that further results are expected as the inquiry progresses.

In a separate development, South Cantt Police Station has registered an additional case related to a road traffic collision involving the car used in the abduction.

According to police records, the complaint was filed by a car owner identified as Usman, who stated that he was travelling from a private housing society towards Bhatta Chowk when his vehicle was struck by another car on Airport Road.

Meanwhile, police from Defence C Police Station also produced three suspects named Rizwan, Nawaz and Nasir before a court at the Cantt Katcheri in Lahore on Monday.

During the hearing, Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mahmood was informed by investigators that further inquiries were required, including the recovery of weapons connected to the case and medical tests to determine the ages of the accused.

After hearing the arguments, the court approved the police request and handed the three suspects over to investigators on a five-day physical remand.

Sources said the three accused presented today are security guards. These guards are accused of torturing foreign women, while accused Nawaz is also accused of raping a foreign woman. Police officials rushed the accused from the Cantt Katchehri to avoid them to contact the media.

Yesterday, the 24NewsHD TV channel had reported that both the foreign women, who had alleged they were abducted and raped by four Pakistani men in Lahore, have refused to hand over their cellphones for their forensics while the cellphones of the suspects have been sent for their forensics.

The TV channel reported that the women could be questioned in connection with the case via a video link. It further said that if deemed necessary, they could also be asked to come to Pakistan.

Earlier, last Friday, a Lahore court granted the police five-day physical remand of four men accused of kidnapping, extorting and raping two foreign women under the guise of a cryptocurrency partnership.

Cantonment Court Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mahmood granted the five-day remand, turning down the police request for 14-day custody.

The arrested suspects identified as Raza Dar, Hassan Raza, Sajid Ali and Sikander Khan were produced before the judge amid tight security. During the hearing, the judge ordered the suspects to remove their facemasks for their identification.

According to police investigators, Stephanie Adriana Mau-Asam of the Netherlands and Astrid Robinson Bracho of Venezuela were lured to Pakistan involving cryptocurrency investments.

Police sources said that the suspects promised substantial profits to the two women from a shared digital currency partnership with a promise of future financial ventures and hence enticed them to travel to Lahore. The victims arrived in Lahore on June 29 and were scheduled to depart on July 5.

Before their scheduled departure, the primary suspect, Raza Dar, took the women to an address in the upscale Defence Housing Authority (DHA) neighbourhood. Once inside, Dar and his accomplices held the women captive, demanding a $1.5 million payout.

The case surfaced after the father of the Dutch national received a distress call from his daughter and contacted police on helpline 15 from abroad.

Earlier, Lahore Police Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Faisal Kamran confirmed that digital tracking through the Safe City Authority enabled law enforcement agencies to pinpoint the location and safely rescue both women on Thursday.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed at the Defence-C Police Station, the women initially met Dar in Singapore in October 2025, where he later facilitated their travel visas.

According to the FIR, Bracho alleged that she was repeatedly raped by one suspect and sexually assaulted by two others, stating she was threatened at knifepoint.

According to the FIR, Stephanie alleged that she fought off an attempted rape and was forced to perform oral sex. She further stated she was stripped naked and threatened with shards of a broken mirror.

The complainants stated that their captors threatened to kill them and harvest their organs for sale if the $1.5 million demand was not met.

According to sources, the main accused, Raza Dar, is a close relative of a high-profile political figure. The victims have already undergone forensic medical examination and recorded their formal, legally binding testimonies before a judicial magistrate under Section 164 of Pakistan’s Code of Criminal Procedure. Meanwhile, two foreign women left Pakistan on Friday.

Police said their medical reports had been received but would remain confidential because of the ongoing investigation.

Reporters: Waqas Ahmad and Shaheen Atiq