Four arrested in kidnapping of foreign aid workers: Police

Police in Kot Addu have arrested four people in connection with last week's kidnapping of two foreign aid workers.

MULTAN:
Police in Kot Addu have arrested four people in connection with last week's kidnapping of two foreign aid workers, local police officials told Reuters on Monday.             

Gunmen stormed the workers' residence on Janury 23 in the town located in Punjab and drove away with the two aid workers - an Italian national, and another police believe to be a German national.

The provincial police chief said that the aid workers, who were working on a project in southern Punjab, are being held for ransom.

"That is all we can confirm, that they were abducted for ransom. At the moment, we cannot provide any more details or say anything about who is behind it," Javed Iqbal told reporters in Lahore.


Criminal gangs often target foreign aid workers in hope of securing large ransoms for their release. Officials say militant groups such as the Taliban are also involved in kidnappings.

Gunmen kidnapped a British doctor, working with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in Quetta on January 5.

American aid worker Warren Weinstein was kidnapped from Lahore in August last year. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for Weinstein's abduction in December.

In July, a Swiss couple was kidnapped from Balochistan by the Pakistani Taliban.
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