Lahore police arrest four on charges of kidnapping, raping two foreign women

LAHORE: Lahore police on Thursday rescued two foreign women and arrested four suspects on charges of kidnapping, rape, sexual assault and extortion, following an operation after an emergency call from one of the victims’ families.

According to police, the two women, one from the Netherlands and the other from Venezuela, had traveled to Pakistan to meet a friend.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered at the Defence-C Police Station, the complainants, identified as Stephanie Adriana Mau-Asam and Astrid Robinson Bracho, alleged that they first met a Pakistani man, identified as Muhammad Raza Dar, in Singapore in October 2025.

They said that Dar, who happens to be a close relative of a high-profile Pakistani politician, later invited them to visit Pakistan and arranged their visas.

Police said that the father of the Dutch woman alerted them through the 15 helpline after receiving information that his daughter had been abducted.

Lahore Police Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Faisal Kamran told Hum English that police, with the assistance of the Safe City Authority, traced the suspects and carried out a rescue operation that secured the women’s release.

He said that the formal case (FIR No 1560/26) has been registered against the suspects under charges including kidnapping for ransom and rape.

Police noted that while four suspects were arrested, efforts are under way to apprehend other alleged accomplices. The identities of the four detained suspects have not yet been disclosed by police.

The two women have undergone medical examinations, and investigators are proceeding with legal action based on forensic and circumstantial evidence, the DIG said.

The victims have also recorded their formal statements before a judicial magistrate under Section 164 of Pakistan’s Code of Criminal Procedure.

According to the FIR, the women alleged that they were abducted on June 29 by Dar, his alleged “boss” and three other men, who held them captive and demanded a $1.5 million ransom for their release, repeatedly threatening to kill them if the amount was not paid.

Police said that the investigation is being conducted strictly on merit without yielding to any political pressure.

In the FIR, Astrid Robinson Bracho alleged that one suspect raped her multiple times, while two others sexually assaulted her.

She further alleged that another suspect threatened her with a knife and sexually assaulted her with a firearm.

Stephanie Adriana Mau-Asam alleged that one of the accused attempted to rape her.

She further alleged that another suspect stripped her, threatened her with a broken piece of a mirror, and attempted to injure her.

According to the FIR, the suspects also threatened to kill the women and sell their body parts if their financial demands were not met.

Police said that the investigation is under way and raids are being conducted to apprehend the absonding suspects.

Pakistan left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, spinner Noman Ali and fast bowler Hasan Ali were dropped from the squad.

Aqib said that the squad had been selected specifically for the tours of the West Indies and England, stressing that selections would continue to be made on a tour-by-tour basis.

“This team is only for the West Indies and England tours,” Aqib said, adding that the selectors had no personal issues with any player.

He said the squad had undergone extensive preparation and was better equipped for the challenges ahead.

“The team should perform better. We have prepared them thoroughly,” he said.

Aqib acknowledged that Pakistan had lost several recent Test matches narrowly and said responsibility for results was shared between the selectors and the captain.

“The captain has to finish matches. Some responsibility lies with the selection committee and some with the captain,” he said.

He also defended Shan Masood, saying the batter had performed well individually despite relinquishing the captaincy.

Commenting on the omission of vice-captain Saud Shakeel, Aqib said the left-hander would need more time to recover his fitness.

Misbah, who joined the selection committee less than six months ago along with former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, said consistency remained the key to success in international cricket.

“If you cannot perform consistently, you cannot survive,” Misbah said.

He expressed confidence that Babar’s return as captain would help improve Pakistan’s performances.

“We hope Babar Azam will perform better now that he has returned,” Misbah said.

Aqib noted that the modern cricket calendar left players with little time to recover or prepare, citing Pakistan’s recent Bangladesh tour immediately after the Pakistan Super League as an example of the congested schedule. He added that balancing the demands of all three international formats remained a major challenge for both players and selectors.