GUJRAT, April 21: Some tribesmen of Laki Marwat (NWFP) have allegedly detained two persons, one of them a police constable in Gujrat, for the last 10 days over what is claimed to be a monetary dispute.

Sources told this correspondent on Monday that an oil dealer, Abbas, who runs his agency on the GT Road near Chak Pirana in Lalamusa Saddar police precinct, purchased smuggled Iranian oil from a party of Laki Marwat through a middleman. They said Abbas had purchased oil worth more than Rs8 million from the party in the past four months.

They said the selling party informed Abbas that he owed Rs4 million to them, asking him to give them the money. They quoted Abbas as replying to the oil sellers that he did not owe even a penny to them, as he had paid the money to the middleman. However, the tribesmen insisted that the middleman had not given them full payment, the sources added.

Meanwhile, Abbas’ car worth Rs800,000 was stolen. The next day Abbas received a telephone call from the Laki Marwat’s party, which told him that his car was in their custody and, if he wanted to take it back, he should come to Laki Marwat for negotiations, they said.

Abbas and his friend Nazir, a police constable, went to Laki Marwat, the sources said, adding that the oil party asked Nazir and driver Farid to go back and arrange Rs4 million to get Abbas and his two cars back.

The sources quoted Abbas as telling the tribesmen that Nazir and Farid were his servants and could not arrange such a big amount. He also demanded his release with the request to give him some time to arrange the amount. The tribesmen released Abbas and asked him that his two men and vehicles would remain in their custody till the payment of their dues.

The sources said Abbas had yet to return to the tribe and his friend and driver had been pining in the illegal detention.

When contacted on telephone, the Saddar police moharrar denied kidnapping of constable Nazir. He, however, confirmed that he (the constable) had been absent from his duty without taking a leave for the past 10 days.