LAHORE: A Lahore court on Friday 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.
Cantonment Courts Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mahmood granted the five-day remand turning down the police request for 14-day custody.
The suspects — identified as Muhammad Raza Dar, Hassan Raza, Sajid Ali and Sikander Khan — who were arrested earlier, were produced before the judge under heavy security.
During the proceedings, the judge ordered the suspects to remove their face masks for formal identification in the courtroom.
According to police investigators, Stephanie Adriana Mau-Asam of the Netherlands and Astrid Robinson Bracho of Venezuela were lured to Pakistan involving cryptocurrency investments.
Police sources said that the suspects promised substantial profits to the two women from a shared digital currency partnership with a promise of future financial ventures and hence enticed them to travel to Lahore.
The victims arrived in Lahore on June 29 and were scheduled to depart on July 5.
Before their scheduled departure, the primary suspect, Raza Dar, allegedly took the women to an address in the upscale Defence Housing Authority (DHA) neighborhood.
Once inside, Dar and his accomplices allegedly held the women captive, demanding a $1.5 million payout.
While framed by the suspects as a cryptocurrency profit claim, police have booked the suspects on charges of kidnapping for ransom.
The case surfaced after the father of the Dutch national received a distress call from his daughter and contacted police on helpline 15 from abroad.
Earlier, Lahore Police Deputy Inspector General (Operations) Faisal Kamran confirmed that digital tracking through the Safe City Authority enabled law enforcement to pinpoint the location and safely rescue both women on Thursday.
According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed at the Defence-C Police Station, the women initially met Dar in Singapore in October 2025, where he later facilitated their travel visas.
According to the FIR, Astrid Robinson Bracho alleged that she was repeatedly raped by one suspect and sexually assaulted by two others, stating she was threatened at knifepoint and assaulted with a firearm.
According the FIR, Stephanie Adriana Mau-Asam alleged that she fought off an attempted rape and was forced to perform oral sex.
She further stated she was stripped naked and threatened with shards of a broken mirror.
The complainants stated that their captors threatened to kill them and harvest their organs for sale if the $1.5 million demand was not met.
According the sources, the primary suspect, Raza Dar, is a close relative of a high-profile political figure.
Earlier, DIG Faisal Kamran stated that the investigation was proceeding strictly on merit without yielding to political interference, following explicit directives from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
The victims have already undergone forensic medical examinations and recorded their formal, legally binding testimonies before a judicial magistrate under Section 164 of Pakistan’s Code of Criminal Procedure.
Police raids are under way to apprehend a fifth accomplice who remains at large.
Meanwhile, the two foreign women left Pakistan on Friday after undergoing medical examinations.
Police said the medical reports had been received but would remain confidential because of the ongoing investigation.
“The investigation is continuing and the final determination will be made by the court on the basis of the evidence,” a police spokesperson said.
Police said that investigators would complete further inquiries in light of the medical findings and continue collecting evidence using modern investigative techniques.
Deputy Inspector General (Investigation) Syed Zeeshan Raza said police provided the victims with full legal assistance and reaffirmed that the safety of foreign nationals remained a state responsibility and a top priority.
“The law will take its course, and all those found responsible will face legal action,” he said.
Separately, police registered a criminal case against the Defence C Police Station House Officer Faryad Ashraf and another police official over their alleged mishandling of the case.
The case has been registered on the complaint of the caretaker of the Judicial Rest House in Dharampura.
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