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LAHORE: Court in Lahore has granted a five-day physical remand of four suspects accused of allegedly abducting two foreign women in a case linked to a reported ransom demand involving crypto.

The suspects were produced before Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mahmood at the Cantonment Courts. After reserving its decision, the court approved the police request for a five-day physical remand. Police had sought a 14-day remand, but the court granted custody for five days. Following the order, the suspects were taken into police custody.

The case has been registered at Defence C Police Station in Lahore. The FIR was lodged on the complaint of a Dutch woman who was recovered after the alleged incident.

According to the FIR, the alleged abduction took place on June 29. The complainant stated that she had met a man from Lahore while in Singapore. She alleged that the man invited both women to Pakistan and also arranged their visas.

The FIR further states that on June 29, the man, his boss, and three other individuals allegedly abducted the two women.

According to the complainant, the abductors behaved “very aggressively” during the incident, while the man who had invited them to Pakistan pretended to be a victim himself.

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The complainant further alleged that the suspects demanded ransom in exchange for their release. She also alleged that her companion was raped multiple times and that an attempt was made to rape her as well.

A significant portion of the FIR has been recorded in English based on the complainant’s statement.

DIG Operations Lahore Faisal Kamran told BBC Urdu that the father of one of the recovered women called the police helpline 15 from Spain. He informed police that his daughter had arrived in Pakistan two days earlier and that during their last conversation she had told him she had been abducted by the suspects named in the FIR, who were demanding $1.5 million in crypto for their release.

The senior police officer said that whenever such a call is received from abroad, senior officers and the Chief Minister’s House are informed immediately.

According to DIG Faisal Kamran, as soon as the call was received, the Chief Minister directed police to recover the two women and arrest the suspects within two hours.

He said the caller from Spain also informed police that the woman had managed to tell her father the registration number of the vehicle in which the suspects were taking them.

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However, the DIG said the two women had come to Pakistan of their own free will and had been sharing updates and photographs of their movements with their families.

“We immediately obtained all the photographs from the families, including images showing the vehicle in which they were travelling with the suspects. Using the vehicle’s registration number, we retrieved its details and began tracing it,” he said.

According to DIG Faisal Kamran, CCTV footage helped investigators determine when the vehicle passed through Shahdara, reached Sargodha, travelled to Islamabad, and where it stopped during the journey.

“Following the trail, we eventually reached Lahore’s Defence area, where we conducted a raid and recovered the two women,” he said.

He added that after recovering the women, police used information provided by the arrested suspects to apprehend the remaining suspects.

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is continuing its extensive operations against individuals involved in human smuggling and the so-called “Dunki” mafia.

According to the media reports, between 40,000 and 50,000 Pakistani citizens attempt to leave the country illegally every year, with the FIA serving as the biggest obstacle to such attempts.

The FIA has not only exposed dozens of human smuggling networks through coordination within Pakistan and with international contacts, but has also brought human smugglers responsible for sending thousands of Pakistanis abroad through illegal means before the courts, resulting in strict punishments.

The agency is using digital surveillance, mobile data analysis, tracking systems, and the exchange of information with international organizations as part of its efforts against human smuggling, making it the country’s largest force combating the crime.

According to the information, the FIA has uncovered dozens of smuggling networks and taken legal action against human smugglers who sent thousands of Pakistanis illegally to Europe, the Middle East, and other countries.

From 2023 to 2026, the FIA’s Anti-Human Trafficking Circle registered more than 7,000 cases across the country and arrested over 10,000 suspects. Assets worth more than Rs17 billion linked to human smuggling cases were also frozen.

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Most of these cases involved the illegal European route, commonly referred to as “Dunki.” During the past six months, the FIA shut down more than 200 fake travel agencies and unlicensed overseas employment offices that were using social media to claim they could send young people to European countries.

In addition, the FIA placed 15,000 passports on its suspicious list over the past year, while 5,000 individuals were offloaded from airports, preventing them from becoming victims of human smuggling. According to the information, these individuals were attempting to travel abroad using illegal visas, fake invitation letters, and dangerous routes. It added that timely action prevented them from potentially being held hostage by smugglers.

According to the FIA report, a large number of human trafficking victims are people who fall into the traps of smugglers due to poverty, unemployment, and a lack of awareness. To address this, the FIA has been conducting awareness programmes in schools, colleges, and rural areas over the past two years.

International cooperation also remains a key part of the FIA’s campaign. Through information sharing with law enforcement agencies in the European Union, the United Kingdom, Türkiye, Gulf countries, and Iran, and with the support of Interpol, more than 120 international warrants were executed in 2025, leading to the arrest of key figures in major human smuggling networks.

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The FIA has also carried out operations against the trafficking of women and children. Over the past three years, more than 1,500 women and children were rescued after allegedly being lured with promises of overseas jobs or marriage for the purpose of trafficking.

According to the provided information, the FIA’s effective operations have resulted in a 35 percent decline in human smuggling in 2026 compared to 2019.

Karachi: Deadly traffic accidents involving heavy vehicles continue unabated in Karachi, with a total of 480 people losing their lives and 5,747 others sustaining injuries in traffic accidents across the city so far this year.

According to media reports, two more fatal traffic accidents were reported on Wednesday. In Korangi, a sand and gravel truck ran over a young boy, killing him on the spot, while in North Karachi, a young motorcyclist also lost his life in a separate traffic accident.

Following these latest incidents, the total number of fatalities in traffic accidents this year has reached 480, while 5,747 people have been injured, including men, women, boys, and girls.

Data shows that 158 people have died in fatal traffic accidents involving heavy vehicles during the current year. Among these, trailers were involved in the highest number of fatal accidents, claiming 73 lives, followed by water tankers, which were responsible for 41 deaths.

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The latest incident occurred near Murtaza Chowk in Bilal Colony, Korangi, where a truck loaded with sand and gravel ran over a young boy. Rescue volunteers from Chhipa shifted the body to Jinnah Hospital for legal formalities.

According to rescue officials, the deceased was identified as 10-year-old Siddiq Hussain. Awami Colony SHO Adnan Bukhari said the accident occurred while the sand and gravel truck was reversing. The driver fled the scene immediately after the incident.

Police have taken the truck into custody and launched a search operation to arrest the absconding driver.

Officials said the deceased boy was a resident of the same locality. After the completion of legal formalities, the body was handed over to his family.