Two suspected kidnappers of Dua, Bisma remanded in police custody till March 25

The administrative judge of anti-terrorism courts on Thursday remanded two suspects in police custody for interrogation into the kidnappings of Bisma Saleem and Dua Mangi.

The judge sent Zohaib Qureshi and Muzaffar on physical remand till March 25, seeking a progress report from the investigation officer as well as ordering police to arrest the absconding suspects and present them on the next hearing.

The suspects were remanded in a case pertaining to the possession of illicit weapons in their custody. On Wednesday, Additional Inspector General of Police (Addl IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon had made the announcement of the arrest of the kidnappers of Saleem and Mangi, who were abducted in May and November, respectively, last year from the DHA, within the jurisdiction of the Darakhshan police station, and were released later after hefty ransoms.

Memon said these cases were a major challenge for all relevant law enforcement and intelligence security agencies. He said the culprits still at large were dismissed assistant sub-inspector of police – Agha Mansoor and his accomplices Shakeel and Kamran, alias Kami.

Their ringleader was Mansoor, who had provided his accomplices with SIM cards and other relevant assistance, he added.

Memon said the detained suspects had told the police that the plan to kidnap Bisma and Dua had been made by Mansoor, who had also rented a flat in Clifton Block-2, where both the abducted girls were kept until their release after receiving their ransoms.

He said the suspects also admitted to trying to avoid being tracked down by using technical apparatuses, including social networking apps. The Addl IGP said they would also request the Sindh government to announce awarding five million rupees as head money in the case of the culprits who were still at large.

He said the detained suspects were habitual criminals, who were earlier also involved in vehicle lifting and other kidnappings, while a few months ago, their gang was in a shootout with the police in District East, but they managed to escape, leaving a police constable injured.