Okara man honey-trapped by social media friend

Family pays Rs1.5m ransom to secure release of youth taken hostage in Kashmore

OKARA:

A young man hailing from Hujra Shah Muqeem, a suburb of Okara, who had gone to Kashmore where he was kidnapped by unidentified people a few months ago, returned home after his family, according to their own account, paid the kidnappers a ransom of Rs1.5 million.

The youth, Babar, while talking to some media persons, said that he had befriended a girl on social media who invited him to come to Kashmore to meet her in person.

Babar, accepting the invitation, travelled to Kashmore to see his “friend”.

When he reached the address given to him by the girl, he was received by two strangers who kidnapped him at gunpoint and took him to a remote area.

There he was held hostage. The kidnappers snatched his mobile phone through which they contacted his family and demanded Rs3 million as ransom for the youth’s release.

They also warned his family that they would kill Babar if their demand was not met.

When Babar’s family told his kidnappers that they were just ordinary people and did not have that much money, the suspect started torturing Babar.

Babar’s mother told the media that they managed to strike a deal with the kidnappers to pay them Rs1.5 million for her son’s release.

Eventually, the young man was released by the kidnappers against payment of the ransom.

Meanwhile, the SHO of Hujra Shah Muqeem, Malik Arshad, told this correspondent that when Babar had left Hujra Shah Muqeem three months ago there was no trace of him. At that time, Babar’s relatives had contacted police and an FIR had been registered about his disappearance.

The SHO said that when police learnt that Babar had not been kidnapped from Hujra Muqeem Shah, but that he had gone to Kashmore on his own the police quashed the FIR.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2022.