‘Treat him like any criminal’: Police on suspect linked to Pakistan Minister Ishaq Dar arrested in foreign women abduction-assault case

Muhammad Raza Dar is among the suspects arrested in connection with the alleged abduction and sexual assault of two foreign nationals. Police have so far booked five suspects in the case.

Speaking to Dawn News, Kamran said the police's immediate priority was to safely recover the two women.

“Our priority was to ensure the recovery of the women. We carried out raids in Sargodha and several other locations. During the investigation, after establishing the family background of one of the suspects and speaking to residents at one of the raided houses, it emerged that the suspect’s family had previously lived there as tenants and were believed to be related to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar,” he said.

Kamran added that once the possible family connection came to light, investigators moved quickly to verify the information.

“As soon as this was flagged, we had to confirm the information. We confirmed it through the family, obtained the suspect’s phone number from them, and began tracing his location,” he said.

“The family definitely would have told him to surrender,” the police official added.

Kamran stressed that the government had directed investigators to make no distinction in the suspect's treatment despite the alleged political connection.

“We received strict orders from the government to treat him no differently than any other criminal,” he said, adding that investigators believe the crime may have involved an organised criminal gang rather than a single individual.

According to police, the two foreign women were abducted on June 29 by a group of men who allegedly demanded a ransom of $1.5 million for their release and repeatedly sexually assaulted them during their captivity.

The victims were eventually rescued from Lahore's upscale Defence neighbourhood after investigators traced the suspects using municipal surveillance camera footage. Police told Arab News that the women were located within two hours of the emergency alert.

Authorities said a fifth suspect remains absconding, and the investigation is ongoing.