Going incognito: Posing as Taliban, watchmen try to swindle millions from employer

Police catch three accused by luring them into a trap, three others still at large.

ABBOTABAD:

Three men were arrested on Monday evening for attempting to swindle money from their employer by impersonating as members of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The accused were lured into a trap by the police, while one main accused and two accomplices are still at large.

According to Deputy Superintendant of Police (DSP) Headquarters Raja Abdul Saboor, the managing director of Altaf Hospital, Dr Amir Altaf, had his house in Rawalpindi vacated from illegal occupants by sending over his security guards, Zahoor and Amjad, for which the doctor paid them Rs2.2 million. When Dr Altaf sold the house for Rs40 million, the two employees insisted he pay them Rs10 million since they deserved more for accomplishing the task.

When the doctor refused, the two employees concocted a plan and called the doctor introducing themselves as members of TTP. They warned Dr Altaf they would kidnap him and his entire family if he did not pay up Rs30 million.

However, when Dr Altaf approached the police, senior officers asked him to trap the culprits. He was asked to tell them to collect Rs3.6 million as the first instalment from Shimla Hill. On Monday afternoon, the accused told him the exact place from where they would collect the money. As they approached the site to collect the amount they were caught by the police.

Upon interrogation, the arrested men told the police that Zahoor and Amjad had formed the plan and that they were helping to carry it out. The police have arrested Amjad, Haroon and Ishtiaq, while Zahoor and two others were still at large.

The police registered criminal cases against them and obtained a five-day remand of the three accused for investigation.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2012.