Lahore police register case against five suspects over abduction, sexual assault of two foreign women

LAHORE: Police on Thursday registered a case against five suspects accused of kidnapping two foreign women for ransom and sexually assaulting them during their captivity.

The incident came to light after the Police Emergency Helpline 15 received a call from Spain from the father of one of the victims. The two women, citizens of the Netherlands and Venezuela, had travelled to Pakistan to visit friends.

According to DIG Faisal Kamran, police responded immediately by dispatching senior officers to the location. The women were safely recovered, four suspects were arrested, and a first information report (FIR) was registered.

He said investigators identified and apprehended the suspects with the help of surveillance cameras operated by the Punjab Safe City Authority.

Following their rescue, the women appeared before a judicial magistrate at the Cantonment Courts where their statements were recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. A legal counsel representing the victims was present throughout the closed-door proceedings.

DIG Kamran said officials from the Dutch Embassy were informed about the case and kept updated on the progress of the investigation and the victims' recovery. He added that the necessary travel arrangements were being completed and the women were expected to leave Pakistan at the earliest.

He further said one of the suspects, a security guard, managed to escape and efforts were continuing to locate and arrest him.

The DIG stressed that investigations were ongoing and that all those responsible would be brought before the courts and prosecuted in accordance with the law.

According to the FIR, the five accused, including a close relative of a senior political figure, allegedly abducted the women, demanded a ransom of $1.5 million, and sexually assaulted them while holding them captive.

The Punjab government stated that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz took immediate notice of the incident and directed Lahore police to recover the women within two hours.

A government handout said police launched a rapid rescue operation after receiving information from the victim's father. With the assistance of the Punjab Safe City Authority's surveillance system, officers traced the suspects, rescued the women, and arrested four of the accused.

The victims later underwent medical examinations, while further legal action is being taken based on the available evidence.