LAHORE (Dunya News) - An incomplete police investigation report submitted to a trial court in connection with the alleged gang rape of two foreign women in Lahore has cleared five suspects of sexual assault charges while implicating them in other offences, including illegal confinement and extortion.
The report, however, names three other suspects as allegedly responsible for sexually assaulting the women. According to police, the three accused were low-paid employees of one of the key suspects.
The case relates to an alleged incident in July, when two foreign women were reportedly held against their will at a house in Lahore's Defence Phase VII and forced to transfer money to the suspects.
The women told investigators that they had met one of the prime suspects in Singapore in 2025 and invited him to invest in their cryptocurrency business. After receiving returns on his initial investment, the suspect allegedly invested another $500,000 but did not receive the expected profits or a refund.
According to the police investigation, the suspect invited the women to Pakistan in June this year, claiming he would arrange a meeting with another investor. They initially stayed at a hotel in Islamabad before travelling to Murree and other areas.
The report alleged that the suspect later told an associate that the women owed him money. The associate subsequently involved another key suspect, identified in the report as "boss".
On June 29, the women were allegedly taken to a house in Defence Phase VII, where they were detained and pressured to repay the claimed amount.
Police said the women were forced to transfer approximately $19,500, which was subsequently converted into Pakistani rupees through a Lahore-based bank account. Two suspects reportedly received Rs1.1 million each.
According to the investigation report, the complainants alleged that armed men guarded them inside the house and threatened them with a knife, firearm and a broken piece of mirror. They were also warned that they would be killed and their body parts sold if they failed to meet the demands.
The police report stated that the complainants' statements and investigation findings pointed to the involvement of three suspects in sexual assault. However, investigators said they found no evidence of rape against the remaining five suspects, including a relative of a senior political figure and the individual identified as "boss".
The women reportedly escaped on July 1 when the vehicle taking them to the airport met with an accident near Bhatta Chowk. They raised an alarm, prompting the relative of the senior political figure to flee, while police took the women into their protection.
Police also claimed to have recovered Rs4.3 million allegedly extorted from the women, along with a mobile phone and a vehicle believed to have been used in the incident. Pistols and a rifle were also recovered, leading to separate cases under the Arms Ordinance.
The investigation further implicated another suspect in allegedly renting out the house to the group without informing the authorities, while another was accused of helping destroy evidence.
Medical examinations of the complainants were conducted, and their statements were recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The police also conducted DNA, fingerprint and polygraph tests and obtained call data records. However, reports from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency were still awaited at the time the incomplete challan was submitted.
Investigators said the report was filed to avoid delays in the legal proceedings, maintaining that sufficient evidence was available against the suspects. Police requested the court to summon the accused through notices.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Rafaqat Ali Gondal has distributed copies of the investigation report among the suspects and fixed November 11 for the next hearing.
Meanwhile, Advocate Salman Shahid, counsel for two of the suspects charged with sexual assault, accused police of favouring the main suspects during the investigation. He claimed his clients, who were low-paid employees of one of the key suspects, had been made scapegoats.
He added that one of his clients worked as a member of the janitorial staff at the property where the alleged incident took place.
In July, Lahore DIG Operations Faisal Kamran had said police had been directed to treat the suspect reportedly linked to a senior government minister like any other accused person.
At a press conference, Kamran said the investigation had indicated the possible involvement of a criminal gang and pledged that police would ensure the case contained no legal loopholes that could benefit the suspects.
The two foreign women left Pakistan on July 3.