Three suspects sent on 14-day judicial remand in foreign women abduction case

Defence-C police produced the suspects before court on the expiry of their physical remand

A magisterial court on Monday sent three suspects on 14-day judicial remand in a case regarding the kidnapping and rape of two foreign women.

Defence-C police produced the three suspects before the court on the expiry of their physical remand. The investigating officer asked the court to remand the suspects in judicial custody.

The magistrate accepted the request and sent the suspects to the judicial lockup with directions to the police to submit their investigation report by the next hearing.

Police had earlier arrested seven other suspects in connection with the alleged kidnapping and rape of two foreign women. Four of them, Sajid, Sikandar, Hassan and Raza Dar (close relative of a prominent political figure), were initially placed on physical remand thrice for investigation and then sent to judicial remand.

The remaining three, Rizwan, Nawaz and Nasir, were also sent on judicial remand on July 20.

Meanwhile, another main suspect "boss" was arrested on July 18 and produced before the magisterial court on July 19, where he was sent on five days physical remand. 

According to the prosecution, the latest suspect, Waheed Tahir alias "boss", is alleged to have played a key role in the offence.

Earlier, the Lahore High Court (LHC) disposed of a petition seeking the recovery of Tahir, the prime suspect, after police informed the court that he had already been arrested, produced before a magistrate and sent on physical remand to the police.

Justice Abhar Gul Khan heard the petition filed by the suspect's mother, Mumtaz Bibi, who claimed that police had taken her son into custody in connection with the foreign women case but had failed to produce him before a competent court within the constitutionally prescribed 24-hour period.

The petitioner had prayed to the court to declare her son's detention “illegal” and order his release from what she termed unlawful custody.

Read: Foreign women rape case: Lahore court sends four accused on 14-day judicial remand

In response, the police submitted a report stating that Tahir had been formally arrested in the case, produced before a judicial magistrate a day earlier and handed over to investigators on a five-day physical remand.

According to the prosecution, “Boss” played a central role in the commission of the offence. After taking the police report on record, the court declared the petition infructuous and disposed of the matter.

Case history

A day earlier, Lahore magisterial court handed over the main suspect, Tahir, to the police on a five-day physical remand.

According to the written order available with The Express Tribune, the prime suspect, apprehended by the police on July 18, was produced before the court in an ambulance on Sunday.

The investigating officer (IO) told the court that the suspect's physical remand was necessary to recover the weapon used during the alleged crime, along with ransom, jewellery and a laptop.

Police also informed the magistrate that Tahir had been nominated as an accused through a supplementary statement recorded during the investigation.

Accepting the prosecution's request, the magistrate remanded the suspect to police custody until July 24 for further investigation.

According to the police, the case against the suspect was registered at Defence-C Police Station.

Read more: Lahore DIG says 'minister-linked suspect' treated like any other criminal in foreign women case

The case

On July 2, police rescued two foreign women within hours of receiving an emergency complaint, arrested four suspects, and launched an investigation into allegations of kidnapping, ransom demands, and sexual assault.

The victim said that the women travelled to Pakistan after being invited by an acquaintance they had met in Singapore in October 2025. She added that on June 29, they were abducted by an acquaintance and four accomplices, who demanded money for their release. The complaint further contained allegations of repeated sexual assault, threats with weapons, physical abuse and extortion.

A statement from the Lahore police said an emergency call was received through the Punjab Emergency Helpline after the father of one of the women, who was in the Netherlands, reported the alleged kidnapping.

Following directions from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, the Lahore police launched an operation, using Safe City surveillance to trace the suspects. The statement added that the two women were recovered within approximately two hours, while four suspects were arrested.