TOBA TEK SINGH, July 16: Police recovered on Friday night the kidnapped nephew of PML-N district president Chaudhry Amjad Ali Javed from Gujrat, while the mastermind behind the kidnap for ransom allegedly committed suicide during the rescue operation.

DPO Khalid Umer Laleka informed journalists at a press conference on Saturday that Umair Afzal, 18, was given some sedative in cold drink by his kidnapper on July 10 when he was on his way to Rawalpindi by a coach from Faisalabad.

The DPO added that the kidnappers took Umair away to Gujrat from where they contacted the boy’s parents on telephone and demanded Rs2.5 million ransom for his release. The talks continued on mobile phones between the parents and the kidnappers under secret supervision of police for five days and finally the parties agreed on Rs900,000.

The boy’s relatives met the kidnappers at Gujranwala, but they were asked to proceed to Lala Musa, where the amount was handed over to the abductors, who left the boy at a Gujrat petrol pump.

A DSP, Aslam Shankar, who supervized the police action in plainclothes, stated that he monitored the whole affair from Rawalpindi Mobilink control room because the kidnappers were using different mobile phone connections.

The DSP said that through constant monitoring the police at last traced the house where the boy had been kept for five days. As the police raided the house, the mastermind of the kidnap, Mazhar Iqbal, shot himself and got seriously injured. He was driven to Gujrat DHQ hospital where he died.

The DPO also claimed that the police arrested a girl Rukhsana alias Robina, who was the second wife of the deceased kidnapper.

He lauded DSP Shankar for leading the police party which rescued the abducted boy.

The DPO said the police also recovered the ransom amount from the house. He hoped that important information would be gleaned from the arrested girl about other kidnappings committed by the outlaws all over the Punjab, besides other crimes.

Two of the kidnap accused were still at large, the DPO added.

Meanwhile, dozens of political leaders congratulated the PML-N office-bearers on Saturday over recovery of his nephew.

The DPO stated that police was also assisted by ISI and CID wing in tracing the kidnappers.