"The chief minister said the case must be handled on merit and whoever committed the crime will be punished," Faisal Kamran said during a press conference in Lahore.
The case surfaced after an FIR was registered at Lahore s Defence C Police Station against five suspects, including Muhammad Raza Dar, identified by police as the grandson of a prominent political figure, on charges of alleged kidnapping, extortion and sexual assault of two foreign nationals from Spain and the Netherlands.
Police sources said four additional suspects have also been taken into custody for questioning, while the five main suspects, including Raza Dar, are on physical remand.
DIG Kamran said the two women arrived in Lahore on June 29 and were allegedly kidnapped shortly afterwards.
He said investigators traced the suspects vehicle using Safe City cameras, which showed it travelling towards Sargodha via the motorway. Raids were also conducted in Shahdara and Defence during the investigation.
According to Kamran, police received the first ransom call on July 1 from a man identified as Carlos, who informed authorities that Spanish officials had also been notified. The Safe City Authority also received an emergency call the same day.
He said police arrested four suspects on July 2 after tracing mobile phone records, vehicle details and location data.
According to police, the women were later being taken to the airport by suspect Raza Dar when an altercation occurred near Bhatta Chowk. The vehicle crashed, after which the women escaped and took shelter in a nearby filter house, where Punjab Police rescued them.
Kamran rejected reports suggesting the women had appeared on their own, saying both had stated that Punjab Police rescued them.
He added that their statements were recorded before a magistrate rather than under police supervision. After medical examinations and completion of legal formalities, the women were allowed to leave Pakistan.
Kamran said the relevant embassy had requested their early departure, but police sought an additional day to complete the recording of their statements.
He also said that once investigators learned a relative of a prominent political personality was among the suspects, senior police officers were informed and the family was contacted to verify the information before further legal action.
Separately, Prime Minister s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah rejected Senator Faisal Vawda s demand for Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar s resignation over the case.
Speaking on Geo News, Sanaullah described the demand as "completely baseless" and alleged that attempts were being made to unnecessarily link the case to the deputy prime minister.
He said the matter was being exaggerated and claimed some elements were trying to politicise the incident.
Sanaullah added that the statements of the two foreign women had been recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code and that investigators had sufficient evidence to submit the challan and proceed with the trial.
He said the recorded statements were adequate for prosecution and that the women could be called back to Pakistan if required during court proceedings.
