May 6, 2026
By Staff Report
LAHORE
A case registered in South Punjab’s Layyah city, has raised serious concerns after three separate FIRs were filed against a group of men linked to an e-commerce training institute and a car showroom business in the city.
First complaint: Woman alleges attempted rape
The first FIR, numbered 330/26, was registered on April 12 under Sections 376 and 337-J of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of a woman identified as Iman* (name changed to hide identity).
The FIR names two accused, namely Mudassar Nawaz and an office boy, Muhammad Shoaib, at Ahad e-Commerce Institute, located in the TDA Colony, Layyah city.
According to the FIR, the complainant belongs to an area in the outskirts of Layyah, and was residing in a girls’ hostel in Layyah city while working as a consultant for a company. She stated that she became acquainted with Mudassar Nawaz in January 2026 through an e-commerce course. She alleged that on April 12, Nawaz called her to the institute for a training class, informing her that other students had also been invited. However, when she arrived at the institute, there was no one present except the two accused men.
When she asked about the absence of other students, Nawaz told her they would arrive shortly and asked her to sit in his office. Meanwhile, Muhammad Shoaib served her strawberry juice and asked her to drink it. The complainant said that immediately after consuming the juice, she began feeling dizzy and attempted to leave the premises. According to the FIR, Nawaz locked the room, forcibly took her towards a living room and began molesting her. During the struggle, her a (surgical) mask she was wearing also snapped.
The FIR states that Nawaz allegedly attempted to remove her clothes and pushed her onto a carpet on the floor. The complainant said she screamed for help, after which the accused allegedly released her out of fear of being caught. She managed to escape the institute, taking a rickshaw from outside the building, and returned to her hostel. According to the FIR, when she reached the hostel, two witnesses, Imran and Taseer, noticed her condition and she informed them about the incident. The matter was then reported to the Layyah police.
Speaking out on pressure and fear
Voicepk spoke to Imaan* in this regard. It was shocking to learn that Imaan* had allegedly faced pressure during the legal proceedings from a counsel, whom she did not want to name due to safety concerns, and who was possibly linked to the two accused businessmen, to support their bail plea.
“Unfortunately, I have given the statement in court allowing the bail application of the accused from my side. But I did this under pressure and now I cannot withdraw it,” she lamented.
Imaan has since then changed her lawyer however, the damage is done. The accused can now apply for bail, with her written permission. But regardless Imaan is willing to fight on.
“I want to pursue this case. I was forced to give this statement in court,” she stressed. “I cannot imagine that they would do this to anyone at the institute where they enrolled us for digital training advertising and that they would help us earn our own livelihoods online through e-commerce.”
She added that she had enrolled in a 40-day training programme at the institute after learning about it while living and working in Layyah city.
“The institute had different classes, every class consisted of around 45 to 55 people, mostly male students with around 10 to 15 female students,” she said. Mudassar Nawaz used to teach in the classes, while Ahad Maqbool rarely interacted with her directly, she said.
In a supplementary statement that she filed after she had already lodged the FIR, Imaan also added the names of Ahad Maqbool – the owner of the institute, and Yousaf Haroon, the owner of Haroon Motors.
“Yousaf Haroon used to come to the institution and sit in the office for hours but never interacted with me,” she said. “Once, I asked another girl why Sir Ahad never spoke to anyone, and one of the female students told me that he was not how he appeared to be. She said he had once been stopped by the police after he was allegedly stalking girls. However, I never took this seriously at the time.”
Imaan said that pressure to withdraw the case had reached her family too.
“My family and I have been continuously pressured not to pursue the case further and settle outside the court. Some elders from the family of the accused came to our house and apologised, then and asked my family to settle the matter because nothing – my ‘honour’ – had not been violated yet.”
She also alleged that interim bail papers had been signed under pressure.
“When I filed a complaint with the police I also lost my job.”
The complainant said she managed to escape because of her physical training background.
“I saved myself because I have been doing exercises and physical training since childhood. I pushed the man against the wall and saved myself. I am not hopeful that I and other girls who have been victims in this case will get justice. I request Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to help me and ensure justice in this case.”
Two more complaints surface after police publicise case
Following the circulation of the first case on social media by Layyah Police, two other women approached the authorities and registered complaints involving allegations of rape, blackmail and even child pornography against some of the same accused linked to the Ahad Institute.
Second FIR includes allegations of rape, blackmail and extortion
A second FIR, numbered 380/26, was registered on April 27 under Sections 376 and 292-C of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of another woman identified as Ayesha*.
The FIR names four accused. Once again the names are the same including Mudassar Nawaz, Ahad Maqbool, Yousaf Haroon with a new addition, Farhan Kharal. According to Ayesha, she enrolled at Ahad Institute in June 2025 and attended training there for approximately three months. She made allegations against Ahad Maqbool and Mudassar Nawaz. The complainant alleged that during the training period, Maqbool sexually assaulted her in a living room adjacent to his office and recorded a video of the assault.
According to the FIR, the video was later used to blackmail her. She further alleged that Maqbool, Haroon and Nawaz repeatedly assaulted her and threatened to release the videos publicly if she refused to comply with their demands. The complainant stated that because she belonged to a “respectable family,” she feared social repercussions if the videos were leaked. According to the FIR, she sold jewellery at Kamran Jewellers and gave the money to Ahad Maqbool.
The FIR further alleges that she transferred Rs100,000 to an account under the name Farhan Kharal on September 16, followed by Rs250,000 through Kamran Jewelers’ account on September 17. She also alleged that she later handed over Rs600,000 in cash to Ahad Maqbool.
Third FIR alleges rape and video blackmail
A third FIR, numbered 390/26, was registered on April 30 against Yousaf Haroon and Ahad Maqbool. According to the complainant, identified as Amna*. She had been looking to purchase an Alto car and came across an advertisement for Haroon Motors in Layyah. She contacted Yousaf Haroon through the showroom number and remained in communication with him regarding the purchase.
The FIR states that on February 16, 2025, Yousaf Haroon asked her to reach the showroom, claiming a car in good condition was available for sale. The complainant alleged that she reached the showroom at around 4pm, where she and her driver were asked to wait upstairs while pizza and tea were ordered. According to the FIR, Yousaf Haroon later told her that the vehicle was located at another showroom and asked her to wait while he attended to some work.
The complainant stated that at around 7pm, she was asked to come to Bael Chowk DPS Layyah. She alleged that Yousaf Haroon arrived there in a white Corolla Altis and insisted that she accompany him alone while asking her driver to leave.
According to the FIR, despite her reluctance, she was forcibly taken in the vehicle to a building where Ahad Maqbool was already present. The complainant alleged that both accused took her to a room, consumed alcohol and raped her. She further alleged that when she resisted, force and violence were used against her.The FIR also states that videos were recorded during the assault and later used to blackmail her. According to the complainant, the accused threatened to make the videos public if she disclosed the incident to anyone.
She alleged that after approximately an hour, she was released after repeated abuse and intimidation.
Amna*, who belongs to Toba Tek Singh, and a mother of three, told Voicepk that she first came across videos of Haroon Motors Layyah on TikTok in December 2025, where installment plans for vehicles were being advertised. She said she worked at a beauty salon and wanted to purchase an Alto car through installments because she could not afford full payment at once.
“I contacted the showroom through the number provided online. Yousaf Haroon told me that no Alto car was currently available but that he would inform me if one became available,” she said.
According to the complainant, Yousaf Haroon later continued contacting her through WhatsApp and on February 16 called her to visit Haroon Motors in Layyah, assuring her that her requirements regarding the vehicle would be fulfilled.The complainant said she travelled to Layyah with her driver for the purpose of purchasing the car. She stated that both she and her driver were asked to wait until evening at the showroom. According to her account, at around 7:30pm, Yousaf Haroon asked her to come to Bail Chowk near DPS Layyah, claiming that the vehicle was available at another showroom.
“When I hesitated to sit in his car alone, he told me, ‘Nothing will happen, trust me,’ and asked my driver not to come along,” she told Voicepk.
The complainant alleged that Yousaf Haroon then took her to a location near Ahad-e-Commerce Institute, where Ahad Maqbool was already present. She alleged that both accused consumed alcohol, took pills, with loud music in the background and later sexually assaulted her. She was with them for about an hour until she begged and pleaded that she be released.
She also said that she was forcibly made to consume alcohol during the assault and that Ahad Maqbool recorded objectionable videos of her.
“Yousaf Haroon threatened me and said he had a powerful and influential network and that nobody could touch him. He warned me not to tell anyone or the videos would be uploaded online,” she said. The complainant stated that after pleading with the accused to let her go, she contacted her driver and left Layyah without informing anyone about the incident.
She alleged that after the incident, Yousaf Haroon sent her videos containing obscene gestures and empty alcohol bottles, though she did not respond to them. The complainant said fear prevented her from reporting the matter earlier.
“I am a mother of three children and I was scared for my family. I never wanted to report the incident because Yousaf Haroon is an influential person,” she said.She added that she only decided to approach police after seeing social media posts circulated by Layyah Police regarding the first complainant’s case.
“But when I saw that another woman had reported the incident, I also came forward so that the real faces of these perpetrators could come to light,” she said. The complainant also told Voicepk that when she returned to Layyah to file her complaint, she met advocate Gul Hassan Rizvi, who was coincidently also the counsel for the first complainant Imaan*.
According to Amna*, Rizvi was not encouraging and told her that her case appeared weak and could be dismissed in court, after which she temporarily felt discouraged about pursuing the matter further. When asked why she travelled from Kamalia to Layyah to purchase a vehicle, the complainant said that she could not find similar installment offers in her own area and that Haroon Motors appeared to be the most suitable option available online. She further stated that she has not yet faced pressure from any party regarding the case.
A wider exploitation network?
A local source who spoke to Voicepk on condition of anonymity says that investigators should also examine the possibility of a wider exploitation network potentially linked to online abuse platforms, including the dark web. Despite the fact that no law enforcement authority has publicly confirmed such allegations till now, the possibility remains especially as videos were being made and blackmail was being carried out.
The source said that Ahad E-Commerce Institute had been operating for nearly three years and regularly uploaded photographs and videos from training sessions and workshops on social media for promotional purposes. The source alleged that some of the female students were selectively targeted, particularly those who stayed behind after classes or worked late hours.
The source also alleged that some victims may have been intoxicated through food or drinks and photographed or filmed without their knowledge while unconscious. The source also alleged that it may even have been possible that some women may have been involved in gaining the trust of female students, and reassuring them after they regained consciousness.
The source further alleged that the pattern described by complainants in the FIRs may indicate a broader system of manipulation, blackmail and abuse involving recorded videos and repeated exploitation of women associated with the institute.
He said the method allegedly described by the first complainant, Imaan, regarding the strawberry drink and her feeling of dizziness, may resemble the pattern allegedly used with other women. According to the complainant’s FIR and her statement to Voicepk, she managed to escape before losing consciousness completely.
Separately, complainant Imaan also told Voicepk that attempts were being made to influence aspects of the investigation, including the medical reporting process. None of these allegations has yet been proven.
When Voicepk spoke to DPO Layyah, Hassan Javed Bhatti, he denied that the investigation had so far found evidence regarding the transmission or sale of inappropriate content online, including on the dark web.
But the DPO said that the police had recovered inappropriate content and chats from the mobile phone of accused Mudassir Nawaz, which, according to him, provided investigators with leads to further probe the case and identify possible additional victims.
Investigation ongoing
In all of the three FIRs, investigations are currently underway.
Meanwhile, a statement from one of the accused, Yousaf Haroon, has emerged on social media saying on April 20,
“Over the past few days, baseless and fabricated news has been circulating on social media against a respectable and successful business personality. These claims have no connection to reality and are entirely unrelated to the matter in question,” he said. “We want to clearly state that spreading such false information is not only ethically wrong but may also have legal consequences. The public is requested to refrain from believing unverified news and to act responsibly The individual concerned is known for their business principles and integrity, and this kind of propaganda appears to be an attempt to damage their reputation, which is condemnable. We hope that the truth will come to light soon and that appropriate action will be taken against those responsible.”
The accused Yousaf Haroon and Ahad Maqbool were on pre-arrest bail during the first FIR. However, both accused have been arrested once again and presented in the court with reference to second and third FIR.
Counsel for accused says investigation record yet to be presented
Voicepk also spoke to Syed Naeem Ali Shah, counsel representing accused Mudassar Nawaz, who said that trial proceedings in the case have not yet formally begun.
“During today’s hearing, the police had still not provided the investigation record before the court and sought more time,” he said. The counsel further stated that, according to him, no evidence has yet been presented before the court by the police.
“The complainant herself has already submitted a statement before the court stating that she has no objection to the post-arrest bail of the accused,” he added. He confirmed that the other two accused, Ahad Maqbool and Yousaf Haroon, had also been arrested in connection with the other two FIRs and are currently in custody.
Medical evidence and digital forensics being examined
The investigation officer (IO) in the case, Nadia Ryaz, told Voicepk that medico-legal examinations have been conducted in the first FIR.
“The medico-legal examination of the first victim has been performed and the stomach samples have been sent for analysis. We are currently awaiting the results from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA),” she said. She further stated that the other two complainants declined to provide DNA samples due to the time lapse between the alleged incidents and the registration of the FIRs.
Police say arrests made, devices recovered
District Police Officer (DPO) Layyah, Hassan Javed Bhatti, told Voicepk that action was initiated immediately after the first complainant contacted police on 15.
“The first complainant called 15 as soon as she escaped the incident. An FIR was registered and police arrested Mudassar Nawaz and Muhammad Shoaib, the two accused named in the FIR,” he said. He added that during the investigation, police recovered inappropriate content from the mobile phone of the accused, which led to broader scrutiny and additional complaints. In the supplementary statement of the first case of Imaan, she also named Ahad Maqbool and Yousaf Haroon, both were on protective bail from the Lahore High Court.
“Two more complaints have been received regarding the same case. Mudassar Nawaz is currently on judicial remand, while Yousaf Haroon and Ahad Maqbool are on physical remand for three days,” he said. The DPO further stated that both Yousaf Haroon and Ahad Maqbool were arrested, and although their phones were initially formatted, they were still handed over to police for forensic analysis.“The police department is trying its best to ensure a fair investigation,” he added.
He also said that while the first complainant, Imaan, submitted a statement in court supporting post-arrest bail for Mudassar Nawaz, this may have implications for that specific case. However, he clarified that the other two cases remain separate and are under active investigation. DPO Bhatti also rejected allegations regarding the alleged circulation or sale of objectionable videos online, stating that no such evidence has been found during the investigation so far.
Pressured to sign bail application
In court proceedings dated April 29, complainant Imaan* submitted a statement indicating that she had no objection to the post-arrest bail of the accused Mudassar Nawaz. However, when Voicepk asked her about this statement, she said she had made it under pressure and reiterated that she still wants to pursue the case.
The victim’s former counsel, Gul Hassan Rizvi, told Voicepk that both the complainant and her family have been facing continuous pressure to reach a compromise. “The victim and her family are under pressure to settle the matter, which is why this statement was submitted,” he said. However, the victim’s family has denied this and told Voicepk that the counsel suggested they let Imaan sign these bail papers, saying it would benefit her case.
According to court orders provided to Voicepk by Layyah-based journalist Mohsin Adeel and issued on May 6, 2026, accused Sheikh Yousaf Haroon and Ahad Maqbool were presented before the court in police custody, while the IO sought an 11-day physical remand for recovery and completion of investigation. The court observed that this was the first physical remand of the accused persons and that recovery in the case was still pending. On these grounds, the court granted a three-day physical remand and directed police to produce the accused again before the court on May 9, 2026.
In another court order issued the same day, counsel for accused Mudassir Nawaz argued that despite being nominated in the FIR and already being in custody in another related case, the investigating officer had neither formally arrested nor investigated him in the present FIR. After reviewing the record, the court observed that Mudassir Nawaz had already been in custody in FIR No. 380/2026 and that the investigating officer was aware of this fact but had made no effort to investigate him in the present case.
The court termed the conduct as apparent mala fide on the part of the investigating officer and referred the matter to DPO Layyah for disciplinary action against Investigation Officer Nadia Riaz. The court further directed the investigating officer to proceed strictly according to law and also granted a further three-day physical remand of accused Yousaf Haroon and Ahad Maqbool for recovery and completion of investigation.
During the latest hearing in complainant I*’s case, granted police an additional three-day remand in the matter. The next hearing has been scheduled for May 11, where complainant I* is expected to appear before the court.The case proceedings remain ongoing in the first complainant’s case.
Moreover, the court has granted bail to the second accused, Mohammad Shoaib who gave Imaan the intoxicating drink.
Punjab continues to report high levels of violence against women
According to the Violence Against Women Punjab 2025 January–June Fact Sheet released by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), women across Punjab continued to face high levels of violence during the first six months of 2025.
The fact sheet is based on data collected through the Right to Information (RTI) law from the Punjab Police Department. The report categorises violence against women cases into rape, kidnapping, honour killing, trafficking, cyber harassment and harassment. It also tracks the legal status of cases, including challans, investigations, trials, convictions, acquittals and withdrawals.
According to SSDO data, an average of 85 women faced violence daily in Punjab between January and June 2025, while an average of nine rape cases were reported every day during the same period.The report further shows that Layyah district recorded 22 registered rape cases during these six months. All 22 cases were challaned, while 19 cases are currently under trial. None of the accused in these cases has been convicted so far, while accused in three cases have been acquitted.The data also shows that 122 kidnapping cases were registered in Layyah during the same period, with all cases currently under trial and no convictions reported.
Only one cyber harassment case was registered in Layyah, with no conviction recorded.Furthermore, three trafficking cases were registered in the district, with no convictions reported. In one trafficking case, the accused was acquitted.
