June 14, 2006	Wednesday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 17, 1427

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QUETTA, June 13: Police on Tuesday busted an international gang involved in kidnapping of children for ransom and recovered a 14-year-old student after an exchange of fire with the kidnappers.

The student was kidnapped last month by armed men from the Satellite town.

“The gang leader and other accused are Afghan nationals and they are involved in kidnapping of children in Pakistan and Afghanistan for ransom,” capital city police officer (CCPO) Salman Syed said at a press conference here. He said four armed men had kidnapped Ehsan Ullah while he was going to school in a van.

He said the kidnappers had demanded Rs10 million from the boy’s father, Mohammad Hashim, for his release. They had used a satellite phone to contact Mr Hashim, he said.

Mr Hashim informed police and a special team, headed by Chiltan town SP Wazir Khan Nasar, traced out the vehicle used in the kidnapping of the boy and took some suspects into custody. The suspects during interrogation told police that the boy had been kept at a hideout in Quetta, said the CCPO.

The police team, supported by the Anti-Terrorist Force, raided the place and recovered the boy after the exchange of fire.

Police arrested gang leader Sher Ahmad and other members. “They are all Afghan refugees,” said Mr Syed.

The police officer said some women who were gang members looked after the hideout. He said a list of names and addresses of other children they were planning to kidnap was also recovered from the hideout.