A former intelligence officer was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen near his residence on Thursday.
The kidnappers, believed to be three or four in number, shot dead the officer’s driver before taking him away, said the Sihala police.
Early morning, a grey Toyota Corolla intercepted Brigadier (retd) Tahir Masood’s car merely meters away from his residence in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase II. They held the former spy agency officer and his driver at gunpoint and asked him to step out. According to police officials, Brig Masood’s driver was shot when he tried to put up resistance. He died on the spot.
City police and security officials arrived at the scene within a few minutes of the incident and cordoned off the area.
Police forensic experts collected fingerprints and other evidence from the officer’s car. The Sihala police launched a brief search operation in close vicinity for possible leads and eyewitnesses.
Hussain’s body was shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) hospital for post mortem after which it was handed to his family for burial.
No case of the incident was registered till the filing of this report. Neither the officer’s nor his driver’s families approached the Sihala police with their respective complaints, said a police official.
However, the driver’s family said they would contact the police Thursday night, he added.
No member of Brig (retd) Masood’s family lodged a complaint against his kidnapping. Police said they need to question them over the possibility of past enmities or threats that he might have shared with his family.
Meanwhile, the police launched a search operation in DHA and adjoining areas. A police official said the residence of the kidnapped ex-military officer was located towards the boundary of the residential area and could be easily accessed without much interruption and checking.
Brig (retd) Masood recently retired from active military and intelligence service and was not currently formally associated with any other military or government job, said the police.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 12th, 2012.
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