Two foreign women who were allegedly gangraped after being abducted in Lahore told a local court that the suspects had lured them to a modern house in the posh locality under the pretext of celebrating a relative's birthday. However, upon entering the house, they found it empty. Both foreign women revealed shocking details about the incident and the treatment they endured, saying that they were sexually and physically assaulted many times. The testimony was recorded before a judicial magistrate at cantonment courts on Thursday, the same day police booked five suspects over alleged abduction and sexual assault after the two women were rescued.
Suspects' Remand and Background
A court in Lahore on Friday granted police a five-day physical remand of four men suspected of kidnapping and sexually assaulting two foreign women who were rescued following a distress call from Spain. The suspects, identified by police as Ahmad Raza Dar, Sikandar Aziz Khan, Hassan Raza and Sajid Ali, were produced before a judicial magistrate following their arrest on July 2. One of the suspects, Ahmad Raza Dar, is said to be grandson of Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar. According to the victims, the suspect allegedly built credibility by claiming to be the son of a high-ranking government minister and displaying a profile picture alongside a former prime minister on a messaging application.
Victims' Testimony: Dutch Woman's Account
According to a statement of the Dutch woman, she and the other victim travelled to Pakistan at the invitation of their business partner, Dar, whom they had met in Singapore in October 2025. She said Dar, who claimed to be son of Ali Dar — who is currently Adviser to Punjab chief minister — arranged their visas. She said that for the first three days of their stay, Dar treated them hospitably by taking them shopping, to dinners, sightseeing, and meetings with potential investors. However, she alleged that on June 29, Dar drove them to Lahore on the pretext of attending his aunt's birthday. After arriving at the house, she claimed that four armed men entered, tied both women up, assaulted them, while Dar initially pretended to be a victim. The Dutch woman claimed that during the night, Dar and the other suspect — who was being referred as “boss” by others — had transferred $17,000 through her phone to their crypto wallet.
Victims' Testimony: Spanish Woman's Account
Another victim — who is a Spanish national — also recorded her statement before the magistrate, wherein she claimed that a man dressed in black touched intimate parts of her body, punched her in the face several times, and removed her shoes. The victim said that the same man sexually assaulted her while she was clothed and continued touching her body. According to the statement, Dar later entered the room and asked about a computer and money. The victim said she told him both were inside a green bag. The Spanish woman further alleged that when she questioned the men, she was struck on the head with the butt of a pistol. She claimed she was later taken to a bedroom on the second floor, where another man, who spoke English fluently, told her that if they handed over the money, they would be allowed to live, but if they refused, they would be killed. She alleged that after the English-speaking man left, three others entered the room, including an older man carrying a rifle, who instructed two men to remain with her. According to the statement, the men spoke only Urdu, laughed among themselves, and repeatedly demanded sexual activities, which she said she refused several times. The victim claimed that the man dressed in black later took her to another room on the second floor while a younger man waited outside. She claimed the suspect slapped her when she began crying, ordered her to remain quiet, and raped her repeatedly. According to the statement, the alleged assault stopped after she screamed.
Court Proceedings and Investigation
In a written order on Friday, the judge noted that police had sought a 14-day physical remand to recover the weapon allegedly used in the offense, recover the ransom money and complete the investigation, before granting investigators five days of physical custody. “The allegation is of rape,” Deputy District Public Prosecutor Nazar Iqbal told reporters by phone after the court proceedings. “Gang rape took place because there were multiple people, more than one,” he added. “Additionally, they had kept them hidden at a certain place and then there was a demand for ransom.” Investigators said the women were abducted on June 29 by a group of men who demanded a $1.5 million ransom for their release and repeatedly assaulted them during their captivity. The rescue operation was launched after the father of one of the women placed an emergency call to Pakistani police from Spain. Investigators tracked the suspects using municipal surveillance cameras and recovered the women within two hours, police said. They added a fifth suspect, a security guard, was still at large. Samples have been collected from the two women, and the suspects will undergo forensic testing to determine whether the samples match, Iqbal said. He added prosecutors would proceed with the case based on other evidence even if the forensic results are inconclusive.
