Three suspected kidnappers were killed earlier yesterday in Karachi while trying to recover a businessman abducted along with his family from a posh locality of the metropolis around three days ago.
The owner of Pakland Cement, identified as Farhan, along with his wife and two-year-old daughter, was allegedly kidnapped from Defence Housing Authority a few days ago.
The kidnappers later shifted them to an isolated place at Ilyas Goth near Chashma Goth, Ibrahim Hyderi. The kidnappers had demanded Rs25 million as ransom for the safe release of the victims, and warned of dire consequences if the family reported the incident to the police.
The victims’ family, however, approached the authorities regarding the incident and sought their help. Officials of the Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), in collaboration with the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) and Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) formed an investigation team which managed to trace the whereabouts of the kidnappers.
The officials of CPLC, SIU and AVCC, reached the kidnappers’ hideout early morning yesterday and were busy cordoning off the hideout when the kidnappers opened fire, said an official. The police, in retaliation, fired back. In the exchange of fire, three suspects were killed.
Their bodies were later shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for medico-legal formalities. After autopsies, the bodies were shifted to the Edhi morgue in Sohrab Goth.
Though no one from the suspects’ family came to claim the bodies, the police with the help of an informant, claim to have identified the three slain suspects as Bilal, Qasim and Usman.
“The exchange of fire continued for at least half an hour, we found the three kidnappers dead when we started searching their hideout after ceasing fire,” explained SIU chief SP Farooq Awan, who was leading the operation. “We also found the victims, who were in a separate room with their hands tied with ropes.”
Explaining the incident, AVCC official Raja Amjad said the owner of Pakland Cement, along with his wife and daughter, were travelling in their car on Khayaban-e-Iqbal in Darakshan when armed men stopped their car and shifted them into their own vehicle.
CPLC officials said the kidnappers called the family several times demanding ransom for their safe release.
“We encouraged the family to negotiate with them as we use such tactics to trace the location of kidnappers,” said a CPLC official privy to the matter. “Finally, a deal between the kidnappers and the family finalised for Rs5 million.”
The official said the kidnappers’ last call was successfully traced to the location – a rented house in Ibrahim Hyderi.
Sindh Inspector General AD Khawaja and Karachi Additional IG Mushtaq Maher, while appreciating the performance of officials, have announced a Rs600,000 reward for the team.
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