Police remand of alleged abductors of Bisma and Dua extended

The administrative judge of anti-terrorism courts on Wednesday extended the remand of two suspects in the custody of police for investigations into the kidnappings of Bisma Saleem and Dua Mangi.

The judge sent Zohaib Qureshi and Muzaffar on physical remand till March 31, seeking a progress report from the investigation officer (IO) as well as ordering the police to arrest the absconding suspects and present them on the next hearing. The suspects were remanded in cases pertaining to kidnappings, attacking and injuring a person during an encounter, and possessing illicit weapons.

Additional Inspector General of Police (addl IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon had made the announcement on March 18 about the arrests of the kidnappers of Bisma and Dua, who were abducted in May and November last year respectively from the Defence area within the jurisdiction of the Darakhshan police station, and were released later after ransoms were paid.

Memon said the kidnapping cases had been a major challenge for all the relevant law enforcement and intelligence security agencies. He said the culprits still at large included a 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 they were released after the payment of ransoms.

He said the suspects also admitted to trying to avoid being tracked down by using technical apparatus, including social networking apps. The addl IGP said they would also request the Sindh government to announce awarding Rs5 million as head money for 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. A few months ago, their gang was involved in a shoot-out with the police in District East within the jurisdiction of the Aziz Bhatti police station but they managed to escape, leaving a police constable injured.