Elderly Rawalpindi man falls prey to honey trap

An elderly man from Rawalpindi has fallen victim to a honey trap and was subsequently kidnapped by Katcha dacoits. The kidnappers later sent a video of the elderly man, handcuffed and pleading for help, to his family via WhatsApp while demanding a hefty amount as ransom for his release.

According to Rawalpindi Police, the abductors have demanded Rs10 million in cash, along with two iPhones and two wristwatches, in exchange for the release of the kidnapped man, identified as 70-year-old Mahmood Baig. The dacoits also reportedly withdrew Rs300,000 from the victim’s bank account.

Police confirmed that a case has been registered at Morgah Police Station on the complaint of the victim’s son, Majid Qureshi. Preliminary investigations revealed that Mahmood Baig was lured to Multan on September 16 under the pretence of a meeting, where he was subsequently abducted. Before his disappearance, he had reportedly parked his motorcycle at a friend’s residence near Multan Railway Station.

Officials added that the FIR was registered on October 1, and an investigation is underway to reach and arrest the kidnappers. Such honey trap cases have become increasingly common in the Katcha region, where dacoits use young women and TikTokers to lure unsuspecting men into traps before kidnapping them for ransom.

Read More: TikTok influencer behind Sindh's honeytraps

Recently, police arrested a TikToker named Uroosa Solangi in connection with similar crimes. Uroosa, a popular social media influencer from Kashmore district, reportedly used her Facebook and WhatsApp accounts to deceive men—often from Sindh and Punjab—by posing as someone seeking marriage.

When the victims travelled to meet her, they were kidnapped by the Bakhsh Ali Shar gang in Sindh’s Katcha area.

According to Kashmore ASP Muhammad Asher, earlier Katcha dacoits used voice filters to impersonate women for such scams. However, after a detailed investigation and analysis of call records, police discovered that real woman was working with the gang. Solangi’s mobile phone was placed under constant observation, and authorities found she had changed her SIM card four times to avoid detection.

ASP Asher added that by tracking communications from Solangi’s four phone numbers and those linked to the Shar gang members, police were able to trace and arrest her. Although no criminal content was found on her TikTok profile, evidence from Facebook and WhatsApp revealed her role in multiple honey trap kidnappings.

Police stated that Solangi was not directly involved in ransom negotiations but received a share of the money after payments were made. According to the Kashmore Police, she was involved in over a dozen honey trap cases, and an FIR has been registered against her.