Kidnapped Faisalabad trader rescued, law enforcement hunts accomplices

CHAKWAL/KARACHI: A trader abducted from Faisalabad was recovered near Balkasar Interchange on Sunday, with the Motorway Police and Chakwal Police conducting the operation, officials said.

The trader told police that five unidentified men, claiming to be employees of a sensitive department, asked him to enter their car. He was initially told he was being taken to a police station, but instead, the men kidnapped him for ransom.

Police sources said documents recovered during the operation indicated that one of the kidnappers hailed from Pind Dadan Khan. Chakwal and Motorway Police intercepted the kidnappers between Balkasar and Neela interchanges. The abductors abandoned the vehicle and the trader on the spot and fled the scene. Police cordoned off the area and issued warnings to the public to report any suspicious activity. A joint search by police, Elite Force, and Reserve Force continues to apprehend the remaining suspects.

In a related development, the Rangers and Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) arrested two suspects in Karachi connected to a kidnapping for ransom. The arrests took place during a joint operation in PIB Colony.

Rangers’ spokesman identified the suspects as Usman alias Babu and Hudood Ahmad. Authorities recovered a Vigo Dala with a fake number plate and several cellphones from their possession.

The suspects had abducted a trader from Azizabad, Karachi, on February 17, at gunpoint, moving him to an undisclosed location. They later demanded a ransom of Rs10 million from the victim’s family using international phone numbers.

Law-enforcement agencies raided a house in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, recovering the trader. The suspects attempted to flee by firing into the air but were intercepted and arrested in PIB Colony. Raids are ongoing to locate and apprehend their accomplices.