Inside job?: US citizen of Pakistan origin rescued in encounter from DHA

Police suspect that the kidnapped person’s friend could have been involved with the gang.

KARACHI: Three alleged kidnappers were killed and two of their suspected companions were arrested during an encounter with the police on Friday in a bid to recover Pakistan-origin US citizen, Ameer Hamza

Hamza was kidnapped on the night between May 13 and May 14 while on his way home in Clifton. He was in his car after having tea with his friend at a restaurant near Bilawal House when the incident took place. His friend, Fahad aka Sonu, also went missing since the day of the kidnapping.

According to Hamza, he has the dual nationality of Pakistan and the United States. After his graduation, he came to Pakistan around 23 days ago to visit his ailing father. “My hands and legs were tied with ropes. They also used to torture me,” he said. “I told the kidnappers that my family had no money for paying ransom but they threatened to kill me if my family was unable to come up with Rs30 million.”

Later, the kidnappers took down their demand to Rs20 million. “As Hamza was a US citizen, the US consulate also took an interest in the case,” said the Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) chief, Ahmed Chinoy. “Thankfully, we managed to rescue Hamza without paying a single rupee.”

The encounter between the alleged kidnappers and police took place when police, in collaboration with the Citizens Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), conducted a raid at the kidnappers’ hideout in Phase II, Defence View.

According to Clifton Division SSP Nasir Aftab, the entire area was cordoned off before conducting the raid so that the suspects could not escape, adding that the kidnappers attacked the police with heavy weaponry when they arrived at the hideout. In retaliation, the police also opened fire during which three kidnappers were killed while their suspected companions, including a woman, were taken into custody from the site, SSP Aftab added.

CPLC chief said that Hamza’s friend, Fahad, and a woman, Iffat, were among the detainees who were being questioned. According to Chinoy, investigators believe that Fahad was involved in Hamza’s kidnapping and the apprehended woman provided logistical supports to the gang. Both suspects, however, have refused their involvement with the gang.

The bodies of the alleged kidnappers were moved to the Edhi morgue in Sohrab Goth where two of them were identified - one as Nazeer Pathan from Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who lived in Shirin Jinnah Colony and the other as Kala Iqbal aka chief, a resident of Dalmia. The initial investigation, according to Chinoy, suggests that the gang had close ties with the gangsters and criminal groups in Karachi and were operating in areas of Clifton and Defence. Their criminal records were being verified.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2013.