— What began as the disappearance of two foreign women soon turned into a high-profile investigation spanning multiple cities, digital surveillance and political circles, exposing allegations of rape, ransom and cryptocurrency-linked business disputes
By Irum Saleem
What began as a frantic search for two foreign women who vanished soon after arriving in Lahore on June 29 unfolded into a complex investigation that moved across city streets, motorway cameras and police raids in several neighbourhoods before ending with four arrests and a politically sensitive trail that reached the family of Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.
Lahore Police Operations Chief Faisal Kamran said that investigators first pinned down the vehicle used in the abduction and traced its registered owner, but the inquiry slowed when the owner’s mobile phone was switched off.
زیادتی کی شکار غیرملکی خواتین کو رات و رات پاکستان سے روانہ کر دیا گیا۔ نہ ہو گا بانس، نہ بجے گی بانسری۔ یہ ہے ڈار ک جسٹس!
— Moonis Elahi (@MoonisElahi) July 4, 2026
From there, the case widened, drawing in suspects in Sargodha and other areas as Safe City surveillance cameras helped police reconstruct the vehicle’s movements and map the route taken after the incident.
CCTV footage showed the vehicle heading to Sargodha via the motorway, prompting raids there. Police also carried out further operations in Shahdara and the Defence area of Lahore as the search expanded and the pieces of the case began to fall into place.
By July 2, four suspects had been arrested. Kamran said the case became especially sensitive when one suspect was found to be a relative of a prominent political figure. “When a suspect turns out to be a relative of a prominent political figure, senior officers must be informed,” he said, stressing that the investigation had to proceed without interference.
The first ransom call, he said, came on July 1, by which time the case had already taken on serious dimensions. During a raid on a house linked to the investigation, police were told that some young men had previously rented the property and that one of them was allegedly related to the deputy prime minister.
اسحاق ڈار کا قریبی رشتہ دار غیر ملکی خواتین سے زیادتی اور اغوا برائے تاوان کے الزامات میں گرفتار۔ اب دیکھتے ہیں سی سی ڈی یہاں کچھ کرتی ہے یا سلیوٹ مارتی ہے۔
— Moonis Elahi (@MoonisElahi) July 3, 2026
To verify that claim, police contacted the suspect’s family, who shared a phone number that helped investigators begin tracking his location. Kamran said vehicle location data and other digital evidence ultimately enabled police to trace and arrest the suspects.
All four were handcuffed, produced before the court as accused persons and remanded into police custody for further interrogation, he said.
Kamran said police were first alerted to the abduction by the father of one of the foreign women. He also rejected reports suggesting the women had escaped on their own, saying the victims had clearly stated that they were rescued by the Punjab Police.
The DIG Operations said police tried to contact the duty magistrate, and when they could not establish contact, the station house officer went to the magistrate’s residence. “A minor incident occurred there, for which I apologise,” he said.
He added that the relevant embassy wanted the women to leave Pakistan as soon as possible, but police requested one additional day to record their statements. “We even offered to bear the cost of their air tickets,” he said.
After their medical examination and the recording of their statements, the two women were allowed to leave the country, he added.
Kamran said the chief minister personally called regarding the case and directed police to proceed strictly on merit.
“She made it clear that the investigation must remain impartial and that whoever is found guilty should be punished,” he said.
Senator Faisal Vawda who has close ties with military establishment” has demanded immediate resignation from Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar after it emerged that his (Dar) grandson is involved in the rape of two foreign women.
Faisal Kamran said all legal requirements had been fulfilled and reiterated that the investigation would proceed transparently and in accordance with the law.
Senator Faisal Vawda has also accused both federal and Punjab governments of protecting the grandson of Dar in the high profile case.
The victim women of Netherlands and Venezuela told police that they met Muhammad Raza Dar (Deputy PM’s relative) in Singapore in October 2025 where he invited them to Pakistan. He arranged their business visas and they arrived in Lahore on Jun 29.
“Upon arriving here Raza along with other suspects kidnapped us and took us to a house in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) where he and four other raped us in captivity and demanded ransom for our release,” Stephanie Adnana Mau-Arun said and added the suspects had demanded $1.5 million in ransom before raping them.
Police investigation reveal the victim women and Raza Dar first met in Singapore and subsequently invested approximately $60,000 in cryptocurrency ventures.
Following the reported success of the initial investment, the partnership expanded with investments reaching around $500,000,” it says and adds the differences later emerged between the parties over profits and financial matters related to the business. The foreign investors informed the accused of losses in the venture, leading to disputes between the partners.
According to him, one of the investors had initially received profits of approximately $80,000, after which additional investments were made.
The disagreement reportedly intensified after claims of business losses surfaced.
The police source said the foreign nationals were persuaded to travel to Pakistan under the impression of a business-related visit and investment opportunity.
“Both foreign women arrived in Islamabad, where the visit was presented as part of ongoing business dealings. The women were later brought to Lahore by their hosts where they met individuals connected to the investment arrangement.”
