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RAWALPINDI:
A woman, who allegedly acted in connivance with her husband, is accused of luring a man residing in Spain to Pakistan on the pretext of marriage and defrauding him of hundreds of thousands of rupees in a so-called “honey trap” scheme in New Town area of Rawalpindi.
According to the police, the complainant, Murad Ali, said that he resides in Spain and had divorced his ex-wife some time ago following domestic disputes. 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 alleged that under various pretexts related to the wedding arrangements, he transferred approximately Rs 450,000 at different times. He was later convinced to travel from Spain to Pakistan for the wedding ceremony.
Upon reaching Sixth Road, Tabinda Shabbir and Malik Iftikhar met him and took him to the Siddique Akbar Mosque in the agricultural colony, where a cleric allegedly performed a marriage ceremony. However, no marriage certificate was provided, with the assurance that it would be issued after registration.
He further stated that Tabinda received Rs 50,000 as dowry (haq mehr) on the spot and got additional Rs 80,000 as dowry and household items. He 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. Upon regaining consciousness, he discovered that Rs 87,000 in cash had been taken from his pocket.
When he demanded his money back, the victims claim, he was threatened and told to file for divorce immediately, otherwise he would 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 confined and was only released when his health deteriorated.
Further investigation led him to discover that Tabinda and Iftikhar were actually married and had allegedly orchestrated the plan with the help of a cleric and his son. In total, he claims to have been deprived of more than Rs 700,000 in cash and continues to face blackmail claims.
The police have registered a case at the request of the complainant and, using both technical and human intelligence methods, have arrested the husband and wife allegedly involved. Raids are being carried out to arrest other accomplices and facilitators. Rawal SP Saad Arshad said those who exploit citizens will not escape the law. He added that the accused will be prosecuted with strong evidence to ensure they receive appropriate punishment.
