- Deputy PM's grandson cleared of sexual assault charges.
- Medical reports confirmed foreign women were raped.
- Three employees charged with sexual assault instead.
Pakistan's Punjab police on Tuesday gave a clean chit to a grandson of Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and his four accomplices in an alleged gang-rape case of two foreigners. The victims - one from the Netherlands and the other from Venezuela- were allegedly abducted by a group of men on June 29 in Lahore and gang-raped. Police arrested eight suspects.
The case became high-profile after police identified Muhammad Raza Dar, the grandson of Ishaq Dar, as the prime suspect.
Lahore Police filed an incomplete investigation report
On Tuesday, Lahore Police filed an incomplete investigation report before a trial court, clearing five suspects, including Dar''s grandson, of sexual assault charges. However, police found them guilty of minor offences, including illegal detention and extortion. Interestingly, the police charged three other suspects, who were low-paid employees of Raza Dar, with sexually assaulting the women. The medical examination had confirmed that the foreign women were raped.
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Both victims recorded their statements before leaving for their countries after the incident. According to the police report, the victims said they met Raza Dar in Singapore in October 2025 and offered him to invest money with them in the business of cryptocurrency. After making a profit on the initial investment, Raza Dar invested over USD 5,00,000.
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"However, this time, the women did not give any profit to the suspect," police said.
Raza Dar invited both women to Pakistan on the pretext of a meeting with another investor at the end of June, where they stayed at a hotel in Islamabad and travelled to Murree hill station.
Later, the women were taken to a house in Defence Housing Authority in Lahore, where they were allegedly detained and pressured to pay the amount. Police said the women were forced to transfer USD 19,500.
"No evidence"
The report said the complainants'' statements and the investigation indicate that three suspects, low-paid employees of Raza Dar, committed sexual assault. "We found no evidence of rape against the other five suspects, including Raza Dar," the police report concluded.
Police also claimed to have recovered PKR 4.3 million allegedly extorted from the women, along with a mobile phone and a vehicle allegedly used in the crime. Pistols and a rifle were also recovered, leading to the registration of separate cases under the Arms Ordinance, the report added.
(With inputs from agency)
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