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A relative of a senior Pakistani politician was among four suspects arrested for the alleged gangrape of two foreigners, police said on Friday (July 4, 2026).
The suspects, identified as Muhammad Raza Dar, Hassan Raza, Sikandar Khan and Sajid Ali, were sent to five-day police remand by a Lahore court on Friday (July 4).
Raza Dar, identified as the prime suspect, is linked to senior politician Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.
“Since it is a very sensitive matter as a close relative of Deputy PM Ishaq Dar is involved in this high-profile case, police are investigating it from all aspects,” a police officer said.
The foreign nationals, one from the Netherlands and the other from Venezuela, were allegedly abducted and gangraped by five men in Lahore on June 29.
The police rescued the women after receiving a call from Spain from one of the victims’ fathers.
Lahore police on Thursday (July 3) registered a case against five suspects and arrested four of them under sections 365A (kidnapping) and 375A (gang rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The fifth accused is absconding and raids are underway to arrest him, police said.
The women told police that they met Raza Dar in Singapore in October 2025, and he invited them to visit Pakistan. A second police official told PTI that the women and Raza Dar were partners in a cryptocurrency venture.
Raza Dar arranged business visas for their Pakistan visit, and they arrived in Lahore on June 29.
One of the women told police that upon arrival in Lahore, Raza Dar and the other suspects abducted them and took them to a house where they allegedly gangraped them and demanded ransom for their release.
According to a court official, Raza Dar was identified by the women as the “prime suspect” when all the four accused were produced before a magistrate.
Published – July 04, 2026 10:45 am IST
