Web desk(National Times)- Lahore Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Faisal Kamran said on Sunday that the police were ordered to treat a suspect — reportedly linked to a senior government minister — in the case of alleged abduction and assault of two foreign women like “any other criminal”.
On Thursday, the police booked five suspects over alleged abduction and sexual assault after the two women were rescued. Four of the suspects, including a close relative of a senior political personality, were arrested and later sent on a five-day physical remand.
Addressing a press conference, he recounted the events leading up to the recovery of the women and the subsequent arrest of the suspects.
“Our priority was to ensure the recovery of the women. We carried out raids in Sargodha and several other locations; at the same time, when we found the family tree of one of the suspects and after speaking to inhabitants at one of the raided houses, it emerged that the family of suspect used to live in the house some time back on rent and were probably related to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar,” he said.
The police official identified the suspect as Muhammad Raza Dar.
He continued: “As soon as this was flagged, we had to confirm the information, and we confirmed it from the family; we got the number (of the suspect) from them and began tracing his location.”
“The family definitely would have told him to surrender,” the police official remarked.
Kamran said that once the investigation began, he apprised the senior command and the government of the circumstances surrounding the suspect’s relation with a high-profile personality.
“We received strict orders from the government to treat him no differently than any other criminal,” he said, adding that it also emerged that there may be a “criminal gang” behind the incident rather than an individual suspect.
The DIG said that raids were being carried out in Sargodha, the Shadhara house, and DHA, so people were starting to pick up on it,” he said.
Kamran recalled that around this time, the suspect told the women he was taking them to the airport, claiming that he had received the ransom.
However, when the car moved towards Bhatta Chowk, the women began to suspect that he was not, in fact, taking them to the airport. At this point, the car carrying the women crashed into another vehicle, which provided the women an opportunity to jump out of the car and run to a nearby shop, he said.
He added that while this was happening, one of the women was also in touch with her father via WhatsApp and voice messages, who in turn was in contact with ASP Defence.
“The father, Carlos, added the two women to a conference call with ASP Defence, and they told the official that they had managed to escape,” Kamran said.
Meanwhile, the suspect attempted to move; however, the police traced his location using a Safe City alert and his contact number and told him to surrender immediately.
“SP Cantt went to arrest him and brought him to the police station,” he said.
He also dismissed the allegations that the two women were not recovered by the police.
“We have the record of a 15 call at 12:40 after which subsequent action was taken, contact established with the individual from Spain, locations trace,” he recalled, stressing that the police’s background ensured the recovery of the foreign nationals.
