AVCC police bust ‘gang of kidnappers, land grabbers posing as army personnel’

The Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) of the Karachi police claimed on Friday to have busted a gang of kidnappers allegedly involved in abduction of a businessman while posing themselves as army and Rangers’ personnel.

AVCC officials said the suspects were involved in abduction of a businessman belonging to the Hindu Community, Bol Chand, on May 3 this year. They added that the kidnapping occurred when Chand, who was a resident of Defence Housing Authority, was on his way along with his driver, Sobat, to visit a friend at a shopping centre in the Zamzama area.

“Five to six men with their faces covered in white and black SUVs intercepted his vehicle and kidnapped the businessman along with the driver with blindfolding them at gunpoint,” AVCC chief SSP Fida Hussain Janwari told media persons as he held a news conference at his office on Friday. The kidnappers also took the businessman’s vehicle with them.

“The kidnappers called one of them as Malik Sahab and posed themselves as personnel of the Pakistan army, Rangers and intelligence agencies. They kept the abducted men at their farmhouse in Hub, Balochistan and demanded a Rs200 million ransom in exchange for their release.”

However, the kidnappers later adopted an unusual strategy to extort money from the businessman as they released him and his driver along with their vehicle. They dropped them near Bilawal House Chowrangi and later demanded Rs20 million from the businessman, warning him that they would kidnap him again in case of non-payment.

After his release, Chand approached the police following which the AVCC registered an FIR No 19/19 against Malik Sahab and his unidentified companions and initiated investigations while seeking assistance from intelligence agencies.

The AVCC chief explained that a police party first arrested two kidnappers, Adil Manzur and Syed Ghulam Haider, on July 1 and then arrested three more of their accomplices, identified as Ali Hasnain Shah, Tahir, alias Lala, and Amjad, alias Babar, on July 11.

The police also seized arms, ammunition, army uniforms, jackets, badges, documents, cameras and mobile phones from their possession, SSP Janwari said. The arrested suspects also reportedly admitted to their crimes. AVCC officials said they were also involved in land grabbing which they also committed under the guise of army officials.

The gang also ran an orphan house and had bank accounts in Karachi and Gilgit to collect funds for that, AVCC officials said, adding that after raising money for the orphanage, they later transferred it to their accounts in Swiss banks.

Three other members of the group were still at large and the AVCC police were trying to apprehend them, officials said. Sindh Inspector General of Police Dr Syed Kaleem Imam lauded efforts of the AVCC police and announced cash and certificates for the police party that investigated the case.