Rawalpindi Police. Photo APP
RAWALPINDI:
A woman, allegedly acting in cahoots with her husband, is accused of luring a Spanish-based man to Pakistan on the pretext of marriage and defrauding him of hundreds of thousands of rupees in a so-called “honey trap” scheme in the New Town area of Rawalpindi.
According to police, the complainant, Murad Ali, said he lives in Spain and had separated from his ex-wife following domestic disputes some time ago. He was later contacted by a man identified as Iftikhar Ali who offered to arrange a marriage proposal and introduced him to a woman named Tabinda Bibi.
Murad claimed that under various pretexts related to wedding preparations, he transferred approximately Rs 450,000 at various times. He was subsequently persuaded to travel from Spain to Pakistan for the wedding ceremony.
On arrival at Sixth Road, he was received by Tabinda Shabbir and Malik Iftikhar and taken to the Siddique Akbar Mosque in the agricultural colony, where a cleric allegedly performed a marriage ceremony. However, no marriage certificate was issued with the assurance that it would be issued after registration.
He further alleged that Tabinda received Rs50,000 as dowry (haq mehr) on the spot and was given another Rs80,000 for dowry and household items. She then allegedly forced him to visit Saddar where he bought a mobile phone worth Rs 60,000.
He was later taken to an apartment in Dhoke Kashmiriyaan where he claims he was drugged and rendered unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he discovered that Rs87,000 in cash had been taken from his pocket.
When he demanded his money back, the victims claim, he was threatened and asked to declare a divorce immediately or face a trumped-up case of adultery on the grounds that a valid marriage had not taken place. He also alleged that he was illegally detained and only released after his health deteriorated.
Subsequent inquiries led him to discover that Tabinda and Iftikhar were actually married to each other and had allegedly orchestrated the scheme with the assistance of a cleric and their son. In total, he claims to have been deprived of more than Rs 700,000 in cash and continues to face extortion demands.
The police have registered a case on the complainant’s application and, using both technical and human intelligence methods, have arrested the husband and wife allegedly involved. Raids are underway to apprehend other accomplices and facilitators. Rawal SP Saad Arshad said those exploiting citizens would not escape the law. He added that the accused would be prosecuted with solid evidence to ensure that they receive appropriate punishment.
