Two kidnappers killed as police recover elderly man abducted from Defence Phase VIII

An elderly man who had been abducted from Karachi's upscale Defence Phase VIII area was recovered on Sunday in a police encounter that also resulted in the killing of two of the kidnappers.

The slain kidnappers belonged to the Kutcha area. Two other suspects managed to escape as the abducted man was safely recovered. Police claimed to have seized two pistols and a Mehran car from the suspects’ possession.

Nazir Ahmed Qureshi, an elderly man, was abducted by four armed suspects in a car on early Saturday morning while he was heading to offer Fajr prayers in Defence Phase VIII. Police said the victim was sitting in his car outside his house waiting for his grandson, Muneeb Ahmed, when the four suspects approached in a car.

They stepped out and forcibly abducted him. According to Muneeb, his grandfather was waiting for him in his car to go to a mosque for the Fajr prayers when he was abducted. When the grandson came outside, he found no one inside the car with the driver’s side door open.

Upon reviewing footage of a CCTV camera installed at the house, Muneeb found that unidentified individuals had taken his grandfather away. He registered a case at the Sahil police station.

The District South police said pickets for snap checking were set up across the city after the incident and assistance was also sought from the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee. On Sunday morning, the Defence police were conducting snap checks near Creek Avenue in Defence Phase VII when they attempted to stop a suspicious Mehran car. The suspects opened fire on the police, leading to retaliatory fire.

Defence SHO Adeel Afzal said two suspects were killed as the police returned fire and the other two managed to flee. The abducted man was safely recovered from the car.

The slain suspects were identified as Aqeel and Ejaz. Two 30-bore pistols and the Mehran car were recovered from their possession. Police revealed that the suspects belonged to Kashmore and Kandhkot districts and were wanted in an FIR 256/24 registered at the Sahil police station.

The bodies were initially shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for legal formalities and later sent to a morgue. The Defence police registered three additional cases against the suspects. Further investigations are under way.

Separately, the Taimuria police arrested two injured suspects, Mir Nawab and Aamir, near Sakhi Hassan Chowrangi close to the Serena Mobile Market after a shootout. SHO Shahid Taj stated that weapons were recovered from their possession.

In another incident, the Awami Colony police arrested two injured suspects, Liaquat Baloch and Owais Peral, and seized weapons from their possession following an encounter near the Darul Uloom Korangi.