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.
Police produced the suspects before Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mahmood after the completion of their initial five-day physical remand and sought further custody, arguing that additional interrogation was required to complete the investigation.
Accepting the request, the magistrate granted police another five-day physical remand and directed investigators to complete the probe and produce the accused before the court again on July 13.
The case relates to the alleged kidnapping, extortion and rape of two foreign women who were reportedly lured to Pakistan under the pretext of a cryptocurrency investment partnership.
Earlier, on July 3, the same court had granted police a five-day physical remand of the four suspects, rejecting a request for 14 days’ custody. The accused were produced before the court under heavy security, where the magistrate 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 persuaded to travel to Lahore with promises of lucrative cryptocurrency investment opportunities and future financial gains.
Police said the women arrived in Lahore on June 29 and were scheduled to return home on July 2.
Addressing a press conference earlier, DIG Operations Faisal Kamran said the two women were rescued after escaping from a moving vehicle, while the prime suspect later surrendered under pressure from his family and law enforcement agencies.
Kamran said police delayed the victims’ departure after seeking diplomatic assistance to complete medico-legal examinations and record their statements under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
He said Lahore police initially contacted the Spanish embassy, which clarified that one of the victims was a Venezuelan national residing in Spain. Police later coordinated with the Dutch embassy, which provided consular assistance throughout the investigation.
According to the DIG, female police officers counselled the traumatised women before persuading them to undergo medical examinations, while Lahore police also paid the cost of rebooking their flights to facilitate the legal process.
He said a Dutch embassy official remained present when both women recorded their statements before a judicial magistrate.
The victims returned to their respective countries on the night of July 3 after completing the required legal formalities.
Kamran said police received the initial kidnapping complaint shortly after midnight on July 1, following which Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed authorities to trace the suspects without delay.
Investigators later traced the prime suspect to a residence in Lahore’s Defence area through family records, where they also discovered that he was related to a politician. Police said the matter was subsequently reported to senior authorities as part of the investigation.