Police say abducted foreign women escaped moving vehicle before suspect surrendered

LAHORE: Lahore police on Sunday said two foreign women abducted for ransom were rescued after they escaped from a moving vehicle, while the prime suspect later surrendered under pressure from his family and law enforcement.

Speaking at a press conference, DIG Operations Faisal Kamran said the victims, Venezuelan nationals with Spanish residency, had initially been due to leave Pakistan on July 2.

However, he said police requested diplomatic assistance to delay their departure so medico-legal examinations and statements under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code could be completed.

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

He said Lahore police first approached the Spanish embassy, which clarified that the women were Venezuelan citizens residing in Spain.

He said that police then coordinated with the Dutch embassy, which was overseeing consular assistance in the case.

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

The Dutch embassy initially sought the victims’ immediate departure and raised concerns over the cost of changing their flight bookings, he said.

Kamran said that Lahore police bore the re-ticketing expenses to enable the women to remain in Pakistan for another day.

A Dutch embassy official was present when the victims recorded their statements before a magistrate under Section 164, he said adding that 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 to take home as a souvenir.

Kamran said that the first report of the kidnapping was received at 12:40am on July 1, after which Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed police to trace the suspects within a short timeframe.

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

“Investigators used family records to trace the prime suspect to a house in Lahore’s Defence area, where they discovered he was a relative of politician,” he said.

“When a relative of a senior state official is allegedly involved in such a case, the matter is reported to the highest authorities,” Kamran said.

Police contacted the suspect’s family, who in turn urged him to surrender, he added.

According to the DIG, the suspect later told the women that ransom money had been received and offered to drive them to the airport.

During the journey, the women resisted and struggled with him inside the vehicle, causing it to crash before they escaped and ran to safety, he said.

“The suspect fled immediately after the accident. We established contact through one of his associates and asked him to surrender,” Kamran said.

Police later arrested the suspect along with four other alleged accomplices, he said.

Kamran said investigators had recovered one of the victims’ mobile phones, the vehicles used in the crime, as well as the women’s handbags and bank cards.

He added that all the suspects were produced before a court in handcuffs to obtain their physical remand.

Kamran also apologised to the judiciary over a procedural issue involving the duty magistrate during the recording of the victims’ statements, saying police had acted to avoid delays in the investigation.

DIG Kamran said the first call was received by the Safe City Authority, and following its response, the suspects dispersed.

He clarified that police did not raid the duty magistrate’s residence.

“Just as an SHO remains on duty for 24 hours, a duty magistrate is also available round the clock. We cannot imagine raiding a judge’s house,” Kamran said.

He explained that the SHO was only instructed to go to the magistrate’s residence and ring the doorbell. When there was no response after repeated attempts, the magistrate’s security guard turned the door handle, and the door opened.

“As soon as the officer entered, the judge came forward. I have already apologised for the incident,” Kamran said.

He said that a man identified as Waheed, whom he described as a “goon-type individual”, was allegedly acting as the mastermind behind the crime and has been arrested.

He said the suspect’s photographs were shown to one of the victims, who identified him as the “boss”.

At the conclusion press conference, journalists from two groups got into a heated argument.

While one group pressed the DIG with tough questions, another created a commotion, leading to a verbal altercation between the journalists.

Amid the dispute, DIG Kamran ended the press conference and left the venue.