Crime against person: Medical students arrested for extortion attempt

The professor was shot at at Kutchery Chowk on December 29.

MULTAN:

CIA police on Friday claimed to have arrested two medical students accused of threatening and attacking a gynaecology professor at Nishtar Medical Hospital.

Additional Inspector General Amjad Javed Saleemi told newsmen that on December 18, Professor Shahid Rao, president of Pakistan Medical Association in south Punjab and the head of the Gynaecology Department at Nishtar Medical College, received an anonymous call from a man demanding Rs2 million. He threatened to kill the professor if he did not pay up.



Saleemi said Rao informed the police about the threat. He said a CIA police team was tasked to arrest the extortionist(s).

He said the caller asked Rao to deliver the money on December 20. He said when he went to Lar - where the money was to be delivered - no one showed up.

Saleemi said later, the caller called again, telling Rao to deliver the money without involving the police.

On December 29, two masked men on a motorbike shot at Rao at Kutchery Square. Saleemi said four bullets were fired. Rao was unhurt.

He said that day, the men called Rao again, demanding that he deliver the money near Baseera Ada in Muzaffargarh.

Saleemi said the CIA team watched Rao deliver the ‘bag’ at the location. He said a few minutes after he walked away from the spot, two young men came on a motorbike and picked it up. Saleemi said they were arrested.

He said the men were identified as Kashif and Farrukh.

He said Kashif was a final year student at Nishtar Medical College. He was barred from appearing in the final year examinations by Rao due over poor. Saleemi said Kashif had 20 per cent attendances in all his classes.

He said Farrukh had done his MBBS from China and was specialising in medical sciences at Nishtar.

Saleemi said he told them that he had planned to open a clinic using the money.

The additional IG praised the CIA team that found and arrested the men.

He also announced prizes for them.

Separate FIRs were registered at Cantt and Chehliak police stations against the suspects who police said had confessed during interrogation. Rao announced special concessions for families of CIA policemen at his clinic.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2014.