12 February 2005	Saturday	02 Muharram 1426

PESHAWAR, Feb 11: Police have recovered a schoolboy who was kidnapped for ransom six days ago from Bisharat Market in Hayatabad township and arrested four people from a village near Karkhano bazaar, a police official said.

Speaking at a press conference at Police Lines here on Friday, Senior Superintendent of Police (operation) Abid Ali said that Asmatullah, a student of Class X, son of local trader Haji Bakhatullah Shinwari, had been kidnapped from Bisharat Market in Phase-II of Hayatabad township on Feb 5.

According to police, four people stopped a double-cabin pick-up and kidnapped him along with vehicle. His father helped the police to trace the kidnappers and free his son, Mr Abid Ali said.

According to a source, the police did not register an FIR on the day when Asmatullah was kidnapped. The police registered the case of kidnapping for ransom just before the arrest of the four accused.

The SSP claimed that the police party went to a village near Karkhano bazaar adjacent to Khyber Agency on Thursday night and arrested Shah Zaman alias Zalmay, Gul Zaman, Naseer and Taza Gul after an exchange of fire.

The police also arrested 13 others, belonging to Rawalpindi, Afghanistan and tribal regions, from the residence of Shah Zaman and also recovered three Kalashnikovs, a repeater, a non-customs paid motorbike and a chassis of heavy duty vehicle.

The SSP said that these 13 people were being interrogated to know whether they were also involved in the criminal activities. However, he maintained, the police had got information that the gang was also dealing in stolen vehicles. There were some cases against the gang registered with Rawalpindi, Jehlum and Lahore police.

The SSP admitted that the Haji Bakhatullah traced the kidnappers through his own sources and the police registered the case when Haji Bakhatullah nominated four abductors in the FIR on Thursday, five days after the kidnapping incident.

When this correspondent contacted the main accused Shah Zaman alias Zalmay, who was in police custody, claimed that Haji Bakhatullah Shinwari, belonged to Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, was their business partner and they were dealing in narcotics smuggled from the neighbouring country.

He added that one of their main partners was arrested recently by Afghan police. And after the arrest of their partner, they developed a dispute over some amount of Rs300 million.

He also claimed that Haji Bakhatullah had invited them to Hayatabad on Thursday night for settling down the monetary dispute, but he called the police and they all were arrested.