Two foreign women were allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted in Lahore after a dispute over cryptocurrency profits, with police arresting four suspects and launching raids to trace others linked to the case.

According to Lahore police, the women, identified as nationals of the Netherlands and Spain, were recovered after one victim’s father contacted the police helpline from abroad and reported that $1.5 million in ransom was being demanded.

The case relates to an alleged abduction on June 29, while police said they were informed of the matter on July 2. An FIR was later registered at Defense C police station on the complaint of one of the recovered women. On Friday morning, the suspects were presented before a local court, which granted police five-day physical remand.

Lahore DIG Operations Faisal Kamran said the women had initially travelled to Pakistan voluntarily after meeting the main suspect in Singapore, where discussions had reportedly taken place over cryptocurrency investment.

According to the FIR, the man had invited both women to Pakistan and also arranged their visas. The complaint alleges that on June 29, the women were abducted by the suspect, his boss, and three other men.

The complainant said the suspects behaved aggressively and that the man who had invited them to Pakistan pretended to be a victim as well. She further alleged that ransom was demanded in exchange for their release, that her companion was raped multiple times, and that an attempt was also made to rape her.

Police said the women were traced with the help of photographs and vehicle details shared with family members. Investigators used the vehicle’s registration data and CCTV footage to track its movement through Shahdara, Sargodha, Islamabad, and eventually back to Lahore’s Defense area, where a raid was conducted and the women were recovered.

DIG Faisal Kamran said the women had also informed their families about their movements and had been sharing pictures during their stay in Pakistan. He said initial police questioning indicated that rape had also taken place, while medical examinations of the victims had been carried out and reports were awaited.

Police said the case appeared to have started with a business dispute linked to cryptocurrency investment. According to Faisal Kamran, the women and the main suspect had agreed outside Pakistan to invest dollars in crypto and later share the profits.

He claimed that after the suspects returned to Pakistan, the women allegedly did not pay the agreed profit amount and stopped responding to calls and messages. The officer said the women later came to Pakistan for further talks related to investment and were due to leave on July 3.

Police said both sides had travelled together to different cities, including Lahore, Islamabad, and Murree, before returning to Lahore. According to investigators, once they got back to the city, one suspect allegedly decided he would not let the women leave Pakistan without recovering the money he claimed was owed.

Police allege the suspect then rented a house with the help of an associate, brought in two men, and had the women abducted before contacting the family to demand ransom.

Faisal Kamran said that regardless of any financial dispute, no one had the right to kidnap another person to recover money.

Police said the embassies of the two women had been contacted, and arrangements were being made to send them back to their countries.

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