Policeman, kidnapper killed in rescue operation near Peshawar

Air Force staffer and his son were being kidnapped, but police intercepted the kidnappers and recovered them.

PESHAWAR: A police constable and an alleged kidnapper were killed as police conducted a rescue operation near Urmar, Shamshato Camp late on Monday evening.

Police said that they had been informed about the abduction of air force staffer Raj Wali and his son Shahzad Wali.

Raj Wali, a stenographer in the Pakistan Air force, had been kidnapped from Speen Khak, Pabbi in Nowshera district. His  abductors were heading towards Urmar in their vehicle from where they intended to reach Frontier Region Peshawar (FR Peshawar).

The Police acted on this information and had all roads heading to FR blocked.

Officials spotted the vehicle of the kidnappers near the Shamshato Afghan refugee camp, and proceeded to intercept them.

However, when the police asked the kidnappers to surrender, their calls were answered with bullets from the abductors. In the ensuing gun battle, police constable Iftikhar was seriously injured and a kidnapper was killed.

Police recovered both the hostages.

The injured constable Iftikhar, a resident of Pakha Ghulam, later succumbed to his injuries at the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH).

DSP Urmar Fazl-e-Wahid told The Express Tribune that the air force personnel and his son had been recovered successfully and one of the kidnappers had been killed in the encounter. He said that a policeman who was injured in the exchange of firing, had died in the hospital.

Wahid said that the kidnapper was yet to be identified and both the hostages were safe and secure.

Three other kidnappers though managed to escape under the cover of darkness.

A search operation is under way to locate and arrest them.