Lahore court extends physical remand of suspects in foreign women case

A Lahore court has granted police a further five-day physical remand of four suspects, including Raza Dar, in the ongoing investigation into the alleged abduction and sexual assault of two foreign women, one from Venezuela and the other from the Netherlands.

The suspects including Raza Dar, Hassan Raza, Iskandar Khan and Sajid Ali, were produced before Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mehmood in the Lahore Cantt Katchehri after the completion of their previous five-day physical remand. Police requested additional custody to continue the investigation, and the court approved the request.

During the hearing, the prosecutor informed the court that DNA fingerprint tests of the accused had already been completed. However, investigators still needed to recover a vehicle, laptops, cash and a weapon believed to be relevant to the inquiry.

Lawyers representing Iskandar Khan and Sajid Ali opposed the request for further remand, arguing that their clients had no involvement in the alleged offences. Defence counsel Salman Shahid maintained that the matter was related to a cryptocurrency dispute rather than allegations of abduction or rape.

The defence also questioned whether the Federal Investigation Agency had been involved in investigating the cryptocurrency aspect of the case. Counsel argued that Sajid Ali worked as a security guard and had no connection with cryptocurrency, while another accused was employed in Islamabad and was similarly unrelated to the alleged activities.

The lawyers further claimed that their clients had been implicated because of widespread media coverage and argued that they were being subjected to a "media trial". They also questioned the status of another suspect, identified as Boss, asking whether he had been produced before any court.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court granted police an additional five days of physical remand to continue the investigation.

Also on Wednesday, the Prosecutor General of Punjab appointed two prosecutors for the perusal of the case.

Sajid and Irum Riaz will monitor the ongoing investigation into the case. In a significant development in the case on Monday, the DNA of three suspects matched with one of the foreign women.

According to sources, police submitted DNA samples of eight suspects to a forensic laboratory for examination.

Sources said that a suspect identified as Nawaz was among those whose DNA matched with the foreign woman. Investigators claim that he was the first suspect involved in the assault.

They stated that forensic analysis of the remaining five DNA samples was continuing and that further results were expected as the inquiry progressed.

Meanwhile, Defence C Police produced three suspects namely Rizwan, Nawaz and Nasir before a court in Lahore Cantonment on Monday.

During the hearing, Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mahmood was informed by investigators that further questioning was required, including the recovery of weapons from the suspects and medical tests to determine the ages of the accused.

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

Sources said the three accused presented today were security guards, who allegedly tortured the women.

On Sunday, the 24NewsHD TV channel reported that both the foreign women, who had alleged they were abducted and raped by four Pakistani men in Lahore, had refused to hand over their cellphones 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.

On Friday, a Lahore court granted to the police five-day physical remand of four men.

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

The arrested suspects, who were identified as Raza Dar, Hassan Raza, Sajid Ali and Sikander Khan, were produced before the judge amid tight security.

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). 

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 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 the 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, 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.

Reporter: Jamaluddin Jamali