Police rescue kidnapped colonel, two friends

A Pakistan Army colonel, Anisur Rehman, and his two business partners were rescued in a joint operation by the Balochistan and Sindh police on Sunday. The police carried out a raid at the hideout of the kidnappers and had a brief encounter with the suspects, in which a passerby was killed.

Rehman and his companions, Khalid Soori and Arshad Lodhi, were kidnapped on May 8 this year from Gadap Town. The friends had just left Rehman’s farmhouse, which is located eight kilometres away from the Super Highway, and were apparently returning to their homes when they were intercepted by kidnappers.

A case was registered against unidentified persons on the complaint of Lodhi’s nephew, Najamuddin, at the Gadap City police station. Later, the Sindh IGP formed three separate teams to investigate the kidnapping case.

The victims’ families were contacted by the kidnappers, who asked for Rs20 million as ransom. The families had almost reached the stage of capitulation when the breakthrough by the police came.

The Citizens-Police Liaison Committee was tapping the cell phone conversations that the families were having with the kidnappers, which helped them locate the suspects.

Finally early Sunday, the investigators were successful in finding out the exact whereabouts of the kidnappers. The information was further corroborated by informers who had reported seeing two suspected persons riding a Honda 125 motorcycle from the Chatiyari Bypass to Sakran, where the hideout was suspected to be.

Anti-Violent Cell Unit official inspector Chaudhry Manzoor said that during the exchange of firing between the police and suspects, one person, Karim Buksh, 55, was killed by the firing of the kidnappers.

Meanwhile, the police rescued the kidnapped persons and also managed to arrest two of the kidnappers, Abdul Aziz and Akhtar, who was also injured during the encounter. It is suspected that around nine other kidnappers, including Wali Mohammad alias Wallu, Ismail, Mohammad Shahu, Shabbir alias Truckwala, Emran Makrani Baloch and Akbar, managed to escape.

The kidnapped men had been detained at the same hideout for around 51 days.

“Their hands were tied with a chain, which was connected with a cot,” said officials, “The kidnapped men have several marks of torture, especially on their feet from repeated attempts to free themselves.”

According to officials, the kidnappers belong to a group of the Brohi community. “Not much can be said about who their leader might be, but the group has been involved in other kidnappings in Karachi,” they added.

During the initial interrogation, the culprits revealed that they had left the kidnapped men’s Suzuki Alto car behind and transported them in a Suzuki Mehran by the Lyari Express Way.

The Suzuki Alto car had been recovered from Gulshan-e-Maymar area near the Afghan Camp police check post.

None of the newly-freed men had been able to record a statement due to the trauma they had suffered, said the officer, adding that they had been sent to their homes and will be asked about their experience two days from now.

Rehman is currently appointed as a Special Pilot for Director General of the Pakistan’s Frontier Constabulary on deputation. He is a resident of Shadman Town while Lodhi and Soori live in Federal B Area. Lodhi is a Sui Southern Gas Company contractor and owns around six CNG stations along the Super Highway, while Soori is in the diary farm business.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2010.