Dua Mangi, Bisma Saleem kidnapping gang busted in Karachi

A former cop and four others had abducted the girls last year, reveals Karachi AIG

KARACHI: A former police official and his four aides were involved in the high-profile kidnappings of two girls in the metropolis last year, disclosed Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon on Wednesday. Two members of the gang have been arrested, while raids are being conducted to locate the others, he added.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Memon stated that the Sindh government had been advised to announce a bounty of Rs5 million on the criminals.

Twenty-year-old Bisma Saleem was kidnapped on May 12 outside her home while Dua Mangi was kidnapped on November 30 outside an eatery in Defence Housing Society. Both girls were reportedly kidnapped for ransom and were later released without the involvement of the police.

According to the city police chief, a five-member gang had kidnapped both the girls. Of the culprits, Zohaib Qureshi and Muzaffar alias Mozi have been apprehended, while raids are being carried out to apprehend former police ASI Agha Mansoor, Shakeel and Kamran alias Kami.

He claimed that the men had been inspired by a movie, with Qureshi and Mansoor coming up with the plan. He further stated that they had used a rented apartment in Clifton to keep the two girls in captivity, while using modern technology to keep their identities hidden.

People protest in Karachi as no headway in Dua Mangi’s kidnapping case

Memon added that weapons had been seized from the possession of the arrested kidnappers, who had confessed to the crimes during interrogation. He claimed that the gang was also involved in other criminal activities.

Memon said that both the cases had been registered at Darakhshan police station, adding that the Sindh police and other security agencies had made strong efforts to resolve them. He further said that Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had held several meetings about both the abduction cases.

“It was a challenge for us,” he acknowledged, explaining that the public had been under the impression that the Sindh police was not actively working on the matter when Mangi was kidnapped. “But we utilised all the resources of the law enforcement agencies to resolve the crime.”

In response to a question, Memon said that the criminals were not part of any criminal party. “A criminal is just a criminal,” he maintained, adding that Mangi and Saleem would be provided complete protection.