LAHORE, Aug 22: The police investigation wing claimed on Monday to have arrested eight members of a gang kidnappers allegedly involved in seven cases. Speaking at a press conference, Lahore Investigation police chief Chaudhry Shafqaat Ahmad said that a total of Rs12 million besides six pistols, three rifles, over 400 bullets and two stolen cars had been seized from the alleged gangsters.

The police chief said the incidents of kidnapping for ransom, including the latest one of a trader, had panicked the business community. Trader Khwaja Akram had been set free some days ago by the gang members against a ransom money of Rs15 million, he added.

Mr Ahmad said two special teams working on the cases had killed a prime suspect of a kidnapping for ransom of a student on Sunday night, whose cell phone led the police to trace the eight members of his gang.

He said a call was made to one of the contacts retrieved from the cell, who was told that his accomplice had got critical injuries in an accident. The contact had just come to the Jinnah Hospital where he was caught. He was identified as Muhammad Amin, who led the police to two houses in Jauhar Town and Sattu Katla from where his accomplices were rounded up.

The alleged outlaws had in recent months also kidnapped two real estate agents, including the one who never reported to the police that he had paid ransom, the police chief said. Even, he said, the accused visited the real estate agent again and got another Rs500,000 from him.

Mastermind Zakir Ali of the gang used to wear the uniform of a major during strikes, he said and identified Zakir’s accomplices as Zahir Khan, Rashid Minhas, Hamid, Akram, Amin, Naseer and Raza.