2 foreigners rescued after alleged gangrape in Pakistan

Islamabad, July 3 (EFE).- Pakistani police have rescued two foreign women who were allegedly kidnapped and held against their will in the eastern city of Lahore, arresting four suspects after one victim’s father alerted authorities from abroad, officials said on Friday.

The women told investigators that they had been repeatedly sexually assaulted while in captivity, police sources told EFE.

Diplomatic sources told EFE that the victims were of Venezuelan and Dutch origin.

Earlier, investigating officer Abdul Rehman had told EFE the rescued women were from Spain and the Netherlands even as several Pakistani media outlets identified one of the victims as Venezuelan.

According to Rehman, the father of the woman identified as Spanish contacted Spain’s emergency services after his daughter told him she had been kidnapped and that her captors were demanding a ransom of $1.5 million.

During the call, the woman was able to provide her father with the registration number of the vehicle in which she was being transported, enabling police to trace it.

Using photographs provided by the families and the vehicle’s registration number, investigators located the women in Lahore’s Defence neighborhood and rescued them, Rehman said.

A statement from the Lahore Police Investigation Directorate confirmed that officers rescued two foreign women after receiving an emergency call from abroad from the father of one of the victims, although it did not disclose their nationalities.

Police said medical examinations have been carried out and that a court has granted investigators five days of police remand for the four suspects while the investigation continues.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), seen by EFE, the two women arrived in Pakistan on June 29 after being invited by a Pakistani man they had met in Singapore in October 2025.

The complaint alleges that the suspect arranged their visas and, after they arrived in Lahore, took them to a house in a residential area, where they were held against their will by him and four other men.

The women told investigators they were threatened with firearms, forced to hand over money, and repeatedly sexually assaulted during their captivity.

According to the complaint, the suspects demanded money in exchange for the women’s release and threatened to kill or mutilate them if the ransom was not paid.

The complaint identifies Muhammad Raza Dar as the main suspect. Some Pakistani media outlets have reported that he is related to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, although police have not confirmed the claim.

Rehman said the investigation indicates that the women first met the main suspect in Singapore while discussing cryptocurrency-related business opportunities and investments.

Authorities are investigating the case on suspicion of kidnapping for ransom and gang rape under Pakistan’s Penal Code.

Rehman told EFE that the victims have since left Pakistan. EFE

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