Lahore, July 3, 2026: A Lahore court on Friday granted police five-day physical remand of four suspects arrested in connection with the alleged abduction for ransom and sexual assault of two foreign women.
The suspects were produced before Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mehmood at the Cantonment Courts by the investigating officer of Defence C police station, a day after police registered a case against five men on charges of kidnapping for ransom and sexually assaulting the two women, who are nationals of the Netherlands and Venezuela.
According to the first information report (FIR), the women were allegedly abducted by five suspects, including a close relative of a senior political personality. The suspects are accused of holding the women captive, demanding ransom for their release and subjecting them to sexual assault during their captivity.
During Friday’s hearing, the four arrested suspects were brought to court with their faces covered with masks. At the outset of the proceedings, the magistrate directed them to remove their masks.
A public prosecutor requested the court to grant 14-day physical remand of the suspects, arguing that the prime accused had already been identified by the victims and that the gravity of the case warranted further police custody for investigation.
He also told the court that the incident had brought disrepute to Pakistan.
However, after hearing the prosecution, the magistrate granted police five-day physical remand of the four suspects, including the relative of a senior political figure, and directed the investigating officer to produce them again before the court on July 8 upon completion of the remand period.
According to the FIR, the suspects allegedly demanded $1.5 million in ransom from the two foreign women before sexually assaulting them.
Police had registered the case on Thursday and subsequently arrested four of the five nominated suspects. Efforts are expected to continue to apprehend the remaining accused and to complete the investigation into the allegations of kidnapping, ransom demand and sexual assault.
