After nearly two months, two bank managers rescued from kidnappers
Iqbal Shaikh and Raees Khan were kidnapped from near Pannu Aqil on January 9.
SUKKUR:
Two bank managers who were kidnapped in January were found from a kutcha area near Sukkur late on Friday night.
Iqbal Shaikh and Raees Khan were kidnapped from near Pannu Aqil on January 9 while they were on their way to work in Shaikh’s car. The car had been found abandoned near a vegetable market. The bankers had been blindfolded and taken to a remote location.
According to Sukkur SSP Saqib Ismail Memon, the police received a tip-off that a gang was hiding in the area with some hostages. Acting promptly, they cordoned off the kutcha area in the limits of Dubbar police station.
As soon as the kidnappers saw the police they opened fire at them and the police retaliated. Constable Hazaro Chachar was injured in the encounter. Unfortunately, the kidnappers escaped but left the bankers behind. While replying to a question, SSP Memon said that the gang of a notorious criminal, Qurban Jagirani, was behind the kidnapping. They had also kidnapped a trader, Mukesh Kumar.
The police had arrested some close relatives of Jagirani and this was why he was compelled to release the hostages.
Asim Shaikh, Iqbal’s son, said that the police had informed them at around 2:30 am. Although his father was a heart patient he did not face any major health issues except for a little chest pain three days ago.
Political connections
When Memon was asked if the release of the hostages was related to the raid on the land of MPA Javed Shah a couple of days ago, he refused to comment. When pressed to comment on whether Shah was involved, he said that the matter had been taken up in the Sindh Assembly.
The Sukkur police had raided Shah’s farm after they received information that the bank managers were being hidden there.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Javed Shah filed a privilege motion in the Sindh Assembly which said that a police party had raided his farmhouse on February 3 and searched every nook and corner for about nine hours but found nothing. According to him, despite repeated attempts the Sukkur DIG and other police officials did not respond to his calls. The speaker had formed a nine-member special committee, under PPP MPA Dr Ahmed Ali Shah, to investigate the matter before presenting the report to Sindh Assembly.
In their written replies submitted to the committee Sukkur DIG Ameer Ahmed Shaikh and SP Saqib Ismail Memon said that the police had received information that six to seven notorious criminals were living in Shah’s farm house in Saleh Pat near Sukkur. “It was not a deliberate effort to humiliate or harass the MPA, but it was action to recover the kidnapped bankers,” said DIG Sukkur. According to him Quran, alias Qurbo Jagherani, Qaim Jatoi and Raja Zangio were involved.
Shah had said that he was being humiliated for supporting the former Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza. “How is it possible for the police to raid the farmhouse of an MPA of the ruling party without any warrant or guilt?” he had asked. “This was an effort to malign his character and family. I have been elected twice as an MPA from this area. We have neither patronised criminals nor a single criminal case has ever been registered against us.” He called the whole thing “totally ridiculous.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 4th, 2012.
Two bank managers who were kidnapped in January were found from a kutcha area near Sukkur late on Friday night.
Iqbal Shaikh and Raees Khan were kidnapped from near Pannu Aqil on January 9 while they were on their way to work in Shaikh’s car. The car had been found abandoned near a vegetable market. The bankers had been blindfolded and taken to a remote location.
According to Sukkur SSP Saqib Ismail Memon, the police received a tip-off that a gang was hiding in the area with some hostages. Acting promptly, they cordoned off the kutcha area in the limits of Dubbar police station.
As soon as the kidnappers saw the police they opened fire at them and the police retaliated. Constable Hazaro Chachar was injured in the encounter. Unfortunately, the kidnappers escaped but left the bankers behind. While replying to a question, SSP Memon said that the gang of a notorious criminal, Qurban Jagirani, was behind the kidnapping. They had also kidnapped a trader, Mukesh Kumar.
The police had arrested some close relatives of Jagirani and this was why he was compelled to release the hostages.
Asim Shaikh, Iqbal’s son, said that the police had informed them at around 2:30 am. Although his father was a heart patient he did not face any major health issues except for a little chest pain three days ago.
Political connections
When Memon was asked if the release of the hostages was related to the raid on the land of MPA Javed Shah a couple of days ago, he refused to comment. When pressed to comment on whether Shah was involved, he said that the matter had been taken up in the Sindh Assembly.
The Sukkur police had raided Shah’s farm after they received information that the bank managers were being hidden there.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Javed Shah filed a privilege motion in the Sindh Assembly which said that a police party had raided his farmhouse on February 3 and searched every nook and corner for about nine hours but found nothing. According to him, despite repeated attempts the Sukkur DIG and other police officials did not respond to his calls. The speaker had formed a nine-member special committee, under PPP MPA Dr Ahmed Ali Shah, to investigate the matter before presenting the report to Sindh Assembly.
In their written replies submitted to the committee Sukkur DIG Ameer Ahmed Shaikh and SP Saqib Ismail Memon said that the police had received information that six to seven notorious criminals were living in Shah’s farm house in Saleh Pat near Sukkur. “It was not a deliberate effort to humiliate or harass the MPA, but it was action to recover the kidnapped bankers,” said DIG Sukkur. According to him Quran, alias Qurbo Jagherani, Qaim Jatoi and Raja Zangio were involved.
Shah had said that he was being humiliated for supporting the former Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza. “How is it possible for the police to raid the farmhouse of an MPA of the ruling party without any warrant or guilt?” he had asked. “This was an effort to malign his character and family. I have been elected twice as an MPA from this area. We have neither patronised criminals nor a single criminal case has ever been registered against us.” He called the whole thing “totally ridiculous.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 4th, 2012.