Pakistan Deputy PM Faces Resignation Calls After Relative Arrested in Foreigners' Kidnapping, Assault
A Pakistani senator has demanded the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar after his relative, Muhammad Raza Dar, was arrested in connection with the abduction and gangrape of two foreign women in Lahore. The case has drawn widespread attention due to its links to a cryptocurrency business dispute.
The victims, one from the Netherlands and the other from Venezuela, traveled to Pakistan after being invited for a cryptocurrency-related business venture. According to investigators, they arrived in Lahore on business visas allegedly arranged by Muhammad Raza Dar, who had met the women in Singapore last year and partnered in a cryptocurrency venture.
Police allege that after the women reached Lahore on June 29, they were abducted and sexually assaulted by a group of men. Four suspects, including Muhammad Raza Dar, Hassan Raza, Sikandar Khan, and Sajid Ali, have been arrested, while another accused remains at large. A Lahore court has remanded the arrested men in five days of police custody.
One of the victims, Astrid Gabriela Robinson Bracho, recorded her statement before a judicial magistrate under Section 164 of Pakistan's Criminal Procedure Code. She alleged that armed men stormed the house where she and her friend Stephani Adriana were staying, tied them up, and demanded access to cryptocurrency funds. The suspects continued demanding passwords and money, and one man threatened to kill both women if they did not comply.
Astrid further alleged that she was taken to an upstairs bedroom, where two men sexually assaulted her while another stood guard with a rifle. She stated that Muhammad Raza Dar used her phone to contact friends and relatives, demanding money for their release. Stephani's mother eventually arranged a ransom of US$100,000.
After receiving the money, Dar returned their passports and drove them towards Lahore airport. However, Dar received a phone call indicating that 'the boss's instructions are different,' shortly after which the vehicle was involved in a collision. The women escaped and sought help from passersby, who alerted a traffic police officer.
Police believe the case may stem from a financial dispute over cryptocurrency investments worth nearly US$1.5 million (approximately Rs 450 million). Investigators are also examining allegations that Raza Dar lured the women to Pakistan under the guise of business and staged his own kidnapping to make the abduction appear genuine. The investigation is ongoing.
