Court extends remand of four suspects in alleged rape, kidnapping of foreign women

LAHORE: A local court in Lahore Cantonment on Wednesday extended the physical remand of four suspects allegedly involved in the kidnapping and sexual assault of two foreign women by five days.

Lahore police produced the suspects before Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mahmood after the completion of their initial five-day physical remand.

During the hearing, the investigating officer requested an extension in physical, arguing that further interrogation was required to complete the investigation.

Accepting the request, the magistrate extended the suspects’ physical remand by another five days.

The court directed police to complete the investigation and produce the accused again on July 13.

Earlier developments

On July 3, a Lahore court granted police a five-day physical remand of four men accused of kidnapping, extorting and raping two foreign women under the guise of a cryptocurrency partnership.

Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mahmood had approved the five-day remand, rejecting the police’s request for 14 days in custody.

Earlier, the suspects, who had been arrested earlier, were produced before the court under heavy security.

During the proceedings, the judge ordered them to remove their face masks for formal identification.

According to investigators, Stephanie Adriana Mau-Asam, a Dutch national, and Astrid Robinson Bracho, a Venezuelan national residing in Spain, were lured to Pakistan with promises of lucrative cryptocurrency investment opportunities.

On July 5, Lahore police said that the two foreign women, who had allegedly been abducted for ransom, were rescued after escaping from a moving vehicle, while the prime suspect later surrendered under pressure from his family and law enforcement agencies.

Addressing a press conference, DIG Operations Faisal Kamran had said the victims, who were due to leave Pakistan on July 2, had their departure delayed after police sought diplomatic assistance to complete medico-legal examinations and record their statements under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

“If the women had left without undergoing medical examinations, it would have created legal complications,” Kamran said.

He said Lahore police initially contacted the Spanish embassy, which clarified that one of the women was a Venezuelan citizen residing in Spain. Police subsequently coordinated with the Dutch embassy, which provided consular assistance in the case.

According to Kamran, female police officers counselled the traumatised women before persuading them to undergo medical examinations.

He said that the Dutch embassy initially sought the victims’ immediate departure and expressed concerns over the cost of rescheduling their flights.

Police said the suspects had promised substantial profits through a joint cryptocurrency venture and future financial investments, persuading the women to travel to Lahore.

The victims arrived in Lahore on June 29 and were initially scheduled to depart on July 2.

Kamran said that Lahore police paid the rebooking costs to enable the women to remain in Pakistan for another day.

He said that a Dutch embassy official was present when the victims recorded their statements before a magistrate under Section 164.

The women returned home on the night of July 3.

“As they left for the airport, they told us it had been a deeply traumatising experience but appreciated the way Lahore police handled the case,” Kamran said, adding that they requested a Pakistani flag as a souvenir.

Kamran said that police received the first report of the kidnapping at 12:40am on July 1, after which Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed investigators to trace the suspects without delay.

“In kidnapping-for-ransom cases, the first priority is always the safe recovery of the victims,” he said.

Investigators traced the prime suspect to a house in Lahore’s Defence area through family records, where they discovered he was related to a politician.

“When a relative of a senior public office-holder is allegedly involved in such a case, the matter is reported to the highest authorities,” Kamran said.