The two complainants have been identified as Stephanie Adnana Mau-Arun from the Netherlands and Astrid Robinson Baracho from Venezuela.

A court in Pakistan’s Lahore city has formally charged eight people, including the grandson of Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, in connection with the alleged gang rape of two foreign women. All the accused have denied the charges, an official said on Wednesday.

The court, presided over by Judge Rafaqat Ali Gondal, directed the prosecution to present its witnesses on December 9, paving the way for the trial to begin. Muhammad Raza Dar, Ishaq Dar’s grandson, is among the eight accused.

“Lahore court judge Rafaqat Ali Gondal framed charges against the suspects, who pleaded not guilty. He directed the prosecution to present its witnesses on December 9 so that the formal trial proceedings could begin," the official said.

The development comes after an earlier police investigation in Punjab province gave a different account of the incident. Police had cleared Raza Dar and four of his associates of the rape allegations and instead charged three other employees working for Dar’s grandson.

Two Foreign Women Kidnapped And Raped In Lahore

The two complainants have been identified as Stephanie Adnana Mau-Arun from the Netherlands and Astrid Robinson Baracho from Venezuela. According to the allegations, the women travelled to Lahore on a business trip in June, where Raza Dar and four of his friends allegedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted them.

Medical examinations reportedly confirmed that the women had been raped. They later returned to their respective countries after recording their statements with the police.

According to the police report, the women had first met Raza Dar in Singapore in 2025. They reportedly invited him to invest in their cryptocurrency business. After receiving returns on his initial investment, Dar allegedly invested more than $500,000. However, the women allegedly failed to provide further returns or repay the money.

Women Held Hostage Over $500,000 Investment

The police report stated that Raza Dar invited the women to Pakistan in June, claiming that he would arrange a meeting with another investor. They initially stayed at a hotel in Islamabad before travelling to the hill station of Murree on their own.

However, they were later taken to a house in Lahore’s Defence Housing Authority, where they were allegedly held against their will and pressured to return the investment amount. The report further stated that the women were forced to transfer $19,500.

The accused allegedly used armed men to guard the women and threatened them with a knife, a gun and a broken piece of mirror. They were also threatened with death and told that their body parts would be sold if they failed to meet the demands.

The women eventually managed to escape when the vehicle carrying them to Lahore airport met with an accident. The incident gave them an opportunity to get away from their alleged captors.