Cryptocurrency Dispute Suspected in Gangrape Case Involving Pakistani Deputy PM's Relative
Investigators in Pakistan are examining a possible cryptocurrency-related dispute as a motive in the abduction and gangrape of two foreign women, according to local media reports. The case has drawn significant attention as Muhammad Raza Dar, one of the principal accused, is a relative of Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Some reports identify Raza Dar as the deputy prime minister's grandson.
The development follows the recording of a statement by one of the survivors before a judicial magistrate. In her testimony, the woman alleged that Raza Dar received $100,000 in exchange for her release. A copy of the statement obtained by Pakistan-based ARY News quotes the survivor as saying that a group of armed men entered the house where she and her friend were staying. The men allegedly restrained the women and locked them in a room before Raza Dar repeatedly demanded access to a computer and cryptocurrency funds.
“They asked where the computer with the money was, and I told them it was in the green bag,” the survivor reportedly told the magistrate. She further alleged that she was struck on the head while being held captive and that one of the armed men threatened both women with death if they failed to hand over the money. “He told me if we gave them the money, we would live. If we didn’t, they would kill us,” she stated.
The survivor also described an incident in which she was sexually assaulted by two of the accused while another suspect stood guard outside. “They were laughing, slapped me and told me to keep quiet when I started crying,” she purportedly said during her testimony. According to her statement, Raza Dar used her mobile phone to send messages to people in her contact list requesting money. When no one initially responded, the mother of the second woman informed the suspects that $100,000 had been arranged.
The survivor claimed that before allowing the two women to leave, Raza Dar told them he had received the money. She also alleged that they were eventually rescued after the vehicle driven by the main accused met with an accident while they were being taken to the airport.
The two women, one from the Netherlands and the other from Venezuela, were allegedly abducted on June 29 and subsequently gangraped in Lahore. Police have arrested four accused so far, while one suspect remains at large. A local court on Friday remanded the arrested men to five days of police custody.
During the investigation, police revealed that Raza Dar first met the two women in Singapore last year, where they reportedly associated in a cryptocurrency venture. Investigators stated that he had arranged business visas for the women to facilitate their visit to Pakistan.
