Five policemen arrested in ransom case

Kidnapped citizens were released after receiving Rs600,000 from their families

FAISALABAD: At least five policemen were arrested by the Faisalabad Civil Lines Police in a case of kidnapping for ransom on Tuesday. A case was registered against the police officials for misuse of power.

Police sources said the officials had kidnapped two citizens, Masood Ahmed and Mohammed Sarwar, from the office of the Superintendent of Police (SP), Crime Investigation Agency (CIA), and shifted them to an unidentified location.

The accused had sought Rs1.5 million as ransom and threatened to kill the kidnapped citizens in an encounter if they failed to pay the money.The abductees  were released after receiving Rs600,000 ransom from their families.

Later, Ahmed, a resident of Gojra tehsil of Toba Tek Singh district, lodged a case against the officials in the Civil Lines Police Station. Ahmed said in his complaint that his friend Sarwar, who runs a petroleum business, was called by Sub-Inspector (SI) Khalid Randhawa, his son Station House Officer (SHO) Zeeshan Khalid, CIA SI Naeem Adil, ASI Afzal Chatha, Constable Qasim, CIA Vigilance Constable Zulqarnain and a citizen, Niazi, to the CIA headquarters.

The accused police officers alleged that the victim bought oil stolen from the mainline of an oil refinery and they needed a share out of it. The police launched an investigation into the case and found the accused policemen guilty. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2020.