The accused men, Ghulam Ali and Shehzad, have been charged under sections of the Pakistan Penal Code that deal with kidnapping for ransom and common intent and under section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act. The First Information Report was filed by the Jamshed Quarters police.
The men released the witness after two and a half hours but kept his brother hostage. They reportedly asked the man to get money so he could pay ransom for his brother. The witness then contacted the Citizens Police Liaison Committee, who advised him to call the alleged kidnappers to Jinnah hospital. At the hospital, the police managed to arrest one of the accused. This led them to his accomplice and they were able to recover the kidnapped brother.
The victim said he had been forced into a hi-roof – alluding to the popular make of vehicle by Suzuki - by two men and was told to keep his head down. “How many doors does a hi-roof have?” asked the defence lawyer. “Next you’ll ask about its engine. We’ve all seen a hi-roof and know what it looks like,” the judge pointed out.
“I knew that we were in Shah Faisal Colony because I could see a bridge there,” he told the court, responding to a question from the lawyer about how he knew his location even though he had been told to lower his head. He was then taken to a house in the area.
At the time of the kidnapping, he said that he only had about Rs20,000 in his bank account. His ATM card, cell phone and wallet were taken away from him by the kidnappers. The witness told the court that when he ventured back into the area with the investigating officer, they learnt that the house he had been kept captive in was believed to be abandoned and no one in the area knew of its owners.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 30th, 2012.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ