Mystery shrouds FBR official’s disappearance

The mystery surrounding the disappearance of an assistant director of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) from Rawalpindi remains unresolved despite a lapse of nine days.

Rehmatullah Khan was allegedly abducted from the Kamalabad area within the jurisdiction of the RA Bazaar Police Station in Rawalpindi by unknown suspects.

Later, a ransom of Rs10 million was demanded by the abductors. Rawalpindi police, in collaboration with authorities in Chiniot and Hyderabad, claimed to have intensified efforts to locate the missing officer, but no breakthrough could be made.

According to sources, on April 15, Muhammad Shafiq filed an FIR at RA Bazaar police station, stating that his brother-in-law, Rehmatullah Khan, an assistant director at FBR Islamabad, had gone missing since leaving home on the third day of Eid to meet a friend.

Despite extensive search efforts and attempts to contact him via mobile phone, which initially went unanswered and later switched off, there has been no trace of Khan.

The police initiated a case under section 365 for kidnapping and commenced investigations.

Family members of the abducted officer received a call from an unknown individual with a Sindhi accent, claiming Khan was in the Ghotki Kutcha area and demanding a hefty ransom.

Further inquiries revealed Khan's origins in Hyderabad, Sindh, where he had a previous marriage and a daughter. He had moved to Rawalpindi after remarriage, leading a new life.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2024.