Three city youths lured to Ghotki, kidnapped

Three young men from the metropolis fell victim to a honey-trap laid by a gang of dacoits who lured them all the way to Ghotki for a carpet cleaning contract, only to kidnap them.

Ghotki district in Sukkur division is synonymous with katcha area dacoits who lure people from all over the country with promises of love marriage, job, business proposals and property deals and bundle them off to the riverine forests along the Indus River on the Sindh-Punjab border.

The kidnapers demanded a ransom of Rs6 million, the youngsters said in a video shared by their family with police. The video of the chained youngsters pleading their families to arrange the ransom has gone viral on social media.

The victims, Owais, his younger brother Faizan Faizy, and friend Anas, residents of the Rizvia Society, run an online sofa and carpet cleaning business through a Facebook page, their uncle Nauman stated in the FIR filed at the Rizvia police station.

Police registered the FIR under the section for kidnapping for ransom on the complaint Nauman and handed over the case to the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) for further investigation. Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori also took notice of the incident.

According to Nauman, a rickshaw driver, his 24-year-old nephew Owais, his younger brother, and their 20-year-old friend Anas operate an online sofa and carpet cleaning business named Perfect Choice via Facebook.

On January 2, Owais received an online order for cleaning sofas and carpets from Ghotki. The amount was lucrative and after covering the travelling expenses the young entrepreneurs were getting a handsome profit. After confirming the booking and consultation with his mother, Owais, his brother, and Anas boarded a bus to Ghotki at around 2:30am on January 3.

On reaching Ghotki, Owais contacted his mother through phone, expressing unease about the situation, but she reassured him. Shortly after, both of Owais's phone numbers went off.

On January 3, at around 4pm, Owais called again, informing his uncle that they had been kidnapped by bandits who were demanding Rs2 million for one person's release and Rs6 million for all three.

A bandit took the phone and instructed him to arrange the ransom within two days. Nauman went on to say that, afterwards, a video was sent via WhatsApp showing the three youths chained at the legs, pleading for help and warning that the abductors would kill them if the ransom was not paid.

Terrified, the plaintiff, accompanied by Owais's mother and Anas's sister, reported the incident to the Rizvia police. In his complaint, Nauman alleged that the abductors had used the pretext of cleaning work to lure the three youths to Ghotki and then abducted them to demand ransom.