Lahore court sends deputy PM's grandson to judicial custody in rape case

A court in Lahore ordered Ahmad Raza Dar, grandson of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, and three co-accused into 14 days of judicial custody on Friday. The case involves the alleged abduction and rape of two foreign women. The order ends two weeks of police custody for the four suspects.

What did the Lahore court decide in the Ishaq Dar grandson case?

Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mahmood ordered Ahmad Raza Dar and three co-accused into judicial custody after police completed their investigation and requested jail remand.

The suspects, Ahmad Raza Dar, Hassan Raza, Sikandar Khan and Sajid Ali, had been in police custody since July 3, with their remand extended twice before the judicial custody order.

Who are the suspects in the Lahore abduction and rape case?

Police produced all four suspects before the Cantonment Courts following the expiry of their physical remand. The court noted that Ahmad Raza Dar remained the principal suspect named in the original First Information Report, while the other three were arrested after being identified by the two foreign complainants.

During the hearing, prosecutors opposed a defense request to discharge Sajid Ali from the case, alleging he had helped conceal evidence and was complicit in the alleged offences. His lawyer, Advocate Salman Shahid, argued no incriminating material had been recovered from his client and asked the court to remove him from the proceedings. No defense counsel appeared for the other three suspects.

What are the allegations against Ahmad Raza Dar?

The case was registered at Lahore's Defense C police station over allegations of abduction and rape. Investigators said the complainants, Stephanie Adriana Mau-Asam of the Netherlands and Astrid Robinson Bracho of Venezuela, were allegedly lured to Pakistan through what police described as a cryptocurrency investment scheme.

Police said the women met Ahmad Raza Dar in Singapore in October 2025, where he presented himself as a business partner, before travelling to Lahore on June 29 after he arranged their visas.

One of the women later told a judicial magistrate that she resisted an attempted rape before being forced into other sexual acts. She alleged the attackers stripped and threatened her with broken glass and warned they would kill the women and harvest their organs unless a ransom of $1.5 million was paid. Both women have since recorded statements before a magistrate under Section 164 of Pakistan's Code of Criminal Procedure and have left the country.

What evidence have investigators recovered?

Investigators previously told the court they had recovered a vehicle, mobile phones and other items linked to the case, while efforts to recover the alleged ransom money were continuing.

Forensic officials have said DNA samples from three suspects matched material collected from one of the complainants, while testing involving the remaining suspects is still under way.

Has Ishaq Dar responded to the case?

The case has attracted political attention because of Ahmad Raza Dar's family ties to Ishaq Dar.

The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has called on the deputy prime minister to resign, while police have said the investigation will proceed without regard to the suspect's political connections. Ishaq Dar has not publicly commented on the allegations.