15 Pakistanis heading to Europe held for ransom in Romania

Kidnappers send a video to their families showing their loved ones being tortured and starved

SWAT: Fifteen Pakistanis, who were en route to Germany, have been kidnapped for ransom in Romania and being tortured and starved by their captors, the families of the abducted men told reporters at the Swat Press Club on Monday.

Among the kidnapped Pakistanis, Sham Shir Ali, Rehmat Ali, Guhar Alam, Hilal Ahmed, Irfan and Barkat Ali belong to Swat District.

"They were on their way to the EU from Turkey when they were kidnapped by some men in Romania," said Saeeda Bibi, whose brother has been abducted.

She added that now their kidnappers were demanding 10,000 euros for the release of each of their loved ones.

Saeeda said her brother was travelling to the EU dreaming of a better life.



Azra, whose is among the affected families, said her son had paid to travel to Turkey and then onward to the EU.

But the human traffickers left him in a place where he was nabbed by gunmen in Romania.

"We don't have enough money for their release and urge human rights bodies and the Pakistani government to play their part in ensuring their release," Saeeda said.

She added that the kidnappers had sent the families a video showing their loved ones being tortured and starved for four days.

In January this year, Turkish police had rescued six Pakistani expatriates who were abducted for ransom by human smugglers in Istanbul.

Then in March, three Pakistanis abducted for ransom in Turkey were released by their kidnappers after 23 days in captivity. In both these cases, the abducted Pakistanis were subjected to brutal torture by their captors.