Four suspects sent on judicial remand in foreign women assault case

Four suspects sent on judicial remand in foreign women assault case

A Lahore magistrate on Friday sent four suspects, including Raza Dar, a close relative of a senior political figure, to judicial custody for 14 days in a case involving the alleged abduction and sexual assault of two foreign women.

Police rescued the victims, a Dutch national and a Venezuelan national, on July 2 after receiving an emergency complaint. Officers arrested four suspects and began investigating allegations of kidnapping and rape.

Following the rescue, Defence C Police registered an FIR under Sections 365A (kidnapping) and 375A (rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of one of the women.

During Friday’s hearing, the investigating officer submitted a progress report and requested judicial remand for the accused. Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mahmood accepted the request and ordered all four suspects to remain in judicial custody for 14 days.

The magistrate noted that the FIR initially named only one suspect, while investigators arrested the other three after the victims identified them during the investigation.

The court also heard a plea seeking the discharge of one of the accused. However, the state prosecutor opposed the request, arguing that the suspect had allegedly helped destroy evidence and assisted in the commission of the offence.

The case stems from allegations made by the two foreign women, who accused the suspects of kidnapping and raping them. Police arrested the accused on July 2 and later presented them before the court.