Pakistani investigators are probing whether a cryptocurrency-related financial dispute led to the alleged abduction
July 5, 2026: Pakistani investigators are examining whether a cryptocurrency dispute was the motive behind the alleged abduction and gang rape of two foreign women in Lahore. The case has attracted widespread attention as the prime accused, Muhammad Raza Dar, is related to Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar. According to the statement of one of the survivors before a judicial magistrate, the accused allegedly accepted USD 100,000 in exchange for releasing the women after holding them captive.
The survivor alleged that armed men forced their way into the residence where she and her friend were staying and repeatedly demanded access to a computer and cryptocurrency assets. She claimed the attackers threatened to kill them if the digital funds were not handed over and that she was assaulted while in captivity. The woman further alleged that the accused used her mobile phone to contact her associates to arrange the money, after which the women were reportedly released once the payment was confirmed. According to her statement, they later managed to escape after the vehicle transporting them towards the airport was involved in an accident.
The alleged victims, from the Netherlands and Venezuela, had reportedly travelled to Pakistan on business visas arranged by the accused after meeting him in Singapore during a cryptocurrency venture. Police have arrested four suspects, while one accused remains absconding. Investigators are now examining financial records and digital evidence to determine whether the alleged crimes stemmed from a dispute over cryptocurrency investments.