Police accused of apathetic attitude in kidnapping case

Family of missing person says police mocking them instead of helping

KARACHI:

The family of a missing person has accused the police of apathy and ineptitude.

The relatives of Bashir Ahmed, a bike-riding delivery man, say that he left his house on March 31 from the Gul Goth area of SITE Super Highway and did not come back home.

Bashir's uncle, Amanulla, claimed that police not only refused to register a kidnapping FIR, but also mocked the family by saying that Bashir, a father of three children, must have gone to meet "another woman".

He told The Express Tribune that he received a phone call from kidnappers on April 6, demanding a ransom of Rs10 million in exchange for his release.

Amanulla said he once again informed the police after the ransom call, but they did not respond.

Eventually, on April 19, the kidnappers sent a video in which they were beating Bashir Ahmed with the butt of a Kalashnikov. In the video, the kidnappers can be heard saying that if the ransom of Rs10 million is not paid, they will kill Bashir.

The family returned to the police station and showed the footage to the officers, but no case was registered. The family members have appealed to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, IG Sindh Mushtaq Mehr, and Additional IG Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon to register the kidnapping case of Bashir Ahmed and take necessary actions to ensure his safe return.

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District East Police has cast doubt on the role of the abducted Bashir and refused to register a case. Police have made a baseless allegation that Bashir was not abducted, but went to meet a woman. Amanullah said he showed the video of kidnappers torturing Bashir Ahmed to SHO Rana Haseeb. The SHO said that he would conduct a full inquiry into the incident first, and then register a case. Amanullah accused Rana Haseeb of maintaining a derogatory attitude towards people coming to the precinct.

Bashir's family has demanded Additional IG Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon and DIG East Muqaddas Haider to bind such SHOs to perform their duties and maintain a better attitude with complainants.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th, 2022.