Pakistan deputy PM’s grandson among arrested in Dutch business partner rape case

The Dutch woman and her Venezuelan business partner, who were allegedly kidnapped, raped, and extorted for 2 million dollars for 2 days, have filed a criminal complaint in Lahore, Pakistan. The case has drawn significant attention in Pakistan because one of the eight men arrested in connection with the crimes is the grandson of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ishaq Dar. De Volkskrant identified the Dutch woman as a 34-year-old digital entrepreneur from Zaanstad. She heads a company that issues cryptocurrency.

The Deputy PM's grandson, Muhammad Raza Dar, is being treated as a main suspect. According to Pakistani newspaper Dawn, he had allegedly set up a cryptocurrency company with the women, who are both entrepreneurs. After the company stopped yielding profits, he decided to “teach his business partner a lesson,” Pakistani police reportedly said.

Pakistani media says that the first investment in their company, 60,000 dollars, yielded an immediate profit of 20,000 dollars. However, a second investment of 500,000 dollars yielded nothing, which allegedly triggered Dar.

The two women had met him in Singapore in October 2025. Dar invited them to Pakistan, promising to introduce them to local investors.

On July 26 of this year, the two women arrived in Islamabad, Pakistan. After sightseeing, they traveled to Lahore on June 29 for a birthday party. It has now been revealed that Dar had allegedly told the women that it was his aunt's birthday.

When the two arrived at the private residence designated as the location, carrying a birthday cake, the house was empty. Shortly after, they were ambushed by men with weapons and ropes. The group allegedly raped, physically assaulted, and extorted them for 2 million dollars over 2 days. They had reportedly first asked for 200,000 but upped it to 2 million soon after.

The perpetrators allegedly allowed the women to call family members to arrange money transfers. During one of these conversations, the Dutch woman used their code word, “carlitos,” after which her family contacted the police.

According to media reports, the women reportedly managed to escape on their own. That has reportedly become one of the topics the police were confronted with at the Sunday press conference in Lahore. The local journalists questioned why authorities claimed to have rescued the women when the two had, according to reports, escaped themselves.

When journalists continued to press the deputy police chief with questions, he ended the press conference. Upon his departure, several members of the press chanted “Shame, shame,” according to The Nation.