DSP among six held for kidnapping builder for ransom

The Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) arrested a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and five other suspects for their alleged involvement in kidnapping a builder for ransom.

A builder, Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, was kidnapped by seven men -- four in police uniform on a phone mobile van bearing registration number BDP-149 and three in a Honda Civic car -- on December 2 from Mughal Hazara Goth within the Gulistan-e-Jauhar police remits. They handcuffed and blindfolded the builder and shifted him to an isolated place.

Later, one suspect in police uniform introduced himself at assistant director of the National Accountability Bureau and demanded Rs10 million in ransom, but the builder was only able to arrange one million rupees, which the kidnappers received in the Sabzi Mandi area. The kidnappers also took signatures of the builder on different stamp papers before releasing him.

The police officer, who introduced himself as NAB officer, again phoned the builder on December 7 and asked him to bring Rs700,000 to a place in North Nazimabad, where the suspect took the money and went away, without returning him the stamp papers. The builder then approached the Gulistan-e-Jauhar police and registered a case on December 9, while the investigation was transferred to the AVCC.

During the probe, it was learnt that the builder was kept at the office of Saeedabad DSP Rashid Iqbal and the DSP’s mobile van was used in the kidnapping. At this, an AVCC police team arrested the DSP, his driver, Head Constable Nasir and gunman Amir Tanoli, as well as three others on charges of kidnapping the builder. The investigators started a search for DSP Iqbal’s son, who was also allegedly involved in the kidnapping.