Islamabad: Investigators in Pakistan probing the abduction and gangrape of two foreign women have begun examining a fresh line of investigation, as the suspicion is now centring on a possible cryptocurrency-related dispute behind the high-profile case, according to local media reports.
Muhammad Raza Dar, one of the principal accused, is a relative of Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Some reports also suggest that Raza Dar is a grandson of Ishaq Dar.
The new development came after one of the survivors recorded her statement before a judicial magistrate as part of the ongoing investigation.
In her testimony, she alleged that Muhammad Raza Dar received $100,000 in exchange for securing her release.
According to a copy of the survivor’s statement obtained by Pakistan-based ARY News, she told the magistrate that a group of armed men entered the house where she and her friend had been staying.
In her statement, the woman alleged that both of them were restrained and locked inside a room by the attackers before Raza Dar repeatedly demanded access to a computer and cryptocurrency funds.
“They asked where the computer with the money was, and I told them it was in the green bag,” ARY News quoted the survivor as saying in her statement before the magistrate.
The woman further alleged that she was struck on the head while being held captive. She also claimed that one of the armed men threatened both women with death if they failed to hand over the money being demanded.
“He told me if we gave them the money, we would live. If we didn’t, they would kill us,” she told the magistrate.
The survivor also reportedly described an incident during which, she alleged, she was sexually assaulted by two of the accused while another suspect stood guard outside.
“They were laughing, slapped me and told me to keep quiet when I started crying,” she purportedly stated during her testimony before the magistrate.
According to the woman’s statement, Raza Dar allegedly used her mobile phone to send messages to people in her contact list requesting money. Although no one initially responded, the mother of the second woman later informed the suspects that $100,000 had been arranged.
The survivor further claimed that before allowing the two women to leave, Raza Dar allegedly informed them that he had received the money, according to her statement.
She also alleged that she and her friend were eventually rescued after the vehicle being driven by the main accused met with an accident while they were being taken towards the airport.
The two women, one from the Netherlands and the other from Venezuela, were allegedly abducted on June 29 and subsequently gangraped in Lahore.
Police have so far arrested four accused in connection with the case, while one suspect remains absconding. A local court on Friday remanded the arrested men to five days of police custody.
During the investigation, police said it had emerged that Raza Dar first met the two women in Singapore last year, where they reportedly associated in a cryptocurrency venture. Investigators further stated that he had arranged business visas for the women to facilitate their visit to Pakistan.
