Kidnapping-for-ransom case takes new turn

Police probe reveals woman travelled to Dubai willingly after love marriage

RAWALPINDI:

A major development has emerged in the case of a 21-year-old woman who allegedly went missing from the jurisdiction of Chaklala Police Station and was reportedly kidnapped for a Rs20 million ransom but travelled to Dubai within hours of her disappearance. Police investigations have revealed that the woman had married a Kashmir-based man residing in Dubai of her own choice in Pakistan and later travelled abroad voluntarily.

According to sources, the woman, who went missing from New Afzal Town in the Chaklala area, had reportedly reached Dubai shortly after her disappearance. Family members had earlier received messages demanding Rs20 million as ransom, prompting police to register a case of kidnapping for ransom and initiate an investigation.

During the probe, police discovered that the man, who lives in Dubai, had visited Pakistan a few months earlier, developed a relationship with the woman, and married her in August. After completing her travel documents, he returned to Dubai, while the woman stayed behind. In December, she left home saying she was going to a medical store but did not return for several hours. Later that night, the family received a WhatsApp message from an unknown Pashto-speaking person, using the woman's phone number, demanding Rs20 million.

Given the seriousness of the situation, Chaklala police registered a kidnapping-for-ransom case and began investigations. With the help of one of the woman's friends who had contacts in Dubai, police checked her travel history, which confirmed that she had travelled alone from the airport.

CCTV footage from the airport also showed the woman arriving alone, completing boarding procedures, and departing without any visible coercion, police sources said.

While investigations were underway, police received a voice message from the woman stating that she had not been abducted, had entered into a marriage of her own free will and that her husband and family should not be harassed. She added that the kidnapping-for-ransom drama was staged because she feared her family would not accept her decision.

Following the voice message, police officers held consultations to assess its authenticity and legal status. A senior police officer told The Express Tribune that kidnapping for ransom is a serious offence and that even if the voice message is genuine, police cannot determine its legal standing on their own. It was therefore decided to continue the investigation, include the couple, all individuals involved, and the woman's brothers in the probe, and proceed further based on the outcome of the investigation.

Murder case adjourned

The District & Sessions Court of Islamabad on Monday adjourned the proceedings of the murder case of 22-year-old Islamic University student Iman Afroz due to the absence of prosecution witnesses.

The case related to the killing of Iman Afroz in a hostel and was being heard at the District and Sessions Court Islamabad. The hearing was conducted in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka.

During the proceedings, counsel for Iman Afroz, Sardar Qadeer, appeared before the court. However, none of the prosecution witnesses were present, which prevented any major development in the case. During the hearing, the judge noted the non-appearance of witnesses and directed that the prosecution witnesses be summoned again for the next hearing.