Raid: Kidnapped constable, friends recovered by police

Three alleged abductors arrested, weapons seized.

HANGU: Five people, including a police constable, were recovered during a raid on a tent in Khajor Talab area on the outskirts of Hangu city on Friday.

On December 1, five men were kidnapped by unidentified kidnappers from the mountainous area of Garab Kallay while they were returning from a picnic.

On Friday, a police squad under the supervision of Sona Khan and Hussain Badshah raided a tent and arrested three alleged kidnappers.

“Police surrounded the tent from three sides and there was an exchange of fire between the police and kidnappers for 30 minutes, after which three of them were arrested,” Hangu DPO Dr Mian Saeed said at a news conference.

Saeed added that a large cache of weapons was also seized from the alleged kidnappers Muhammad Mustafa, Hazrat Daud and Salamat Shah. Mustafa, also known as Babu, is a resident of Gulshan Colony and is wanted for murder. Daud is a resident of Mashti, while Shah a local of Ali Khel, Orakzai Agency.



DPO Saeed said police constable Muhammad Amir and his friends Abdul Qadir, Muhammad Israr Hussain, Muhammad Saddique and Waqas were kidnapped by unidentified men at gunpoint after which they were shifted to an undisclosed location.

He said the kidnappers later contacted family members of the abducted men and demanded Rs1.5 million for the release of Amir and Rs1 million each for the rest.

Another police official requesting anonymity said the kidnappers belonged to a militant group and kidnapped people on the outskirts of the city for ransom.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 29^th, 2012.