August 05, 2007	Sunday	Rajab 20, 1428

LAHORE, Aug 4: Two persons, who had kidnapped a four-year-old boy from Badian Road on July 24, were killed in an ‘encounter’ with police near Bahseen village in the Batapur area on Saturday.

The police claimed to have seized ransom money besides illegal weapons from the kidnappers.

According to police, Usman disappeared on July 24 when he was playing outside his house in a colony near Bhatta Chowk. His father, Liaquat, got registered a case in the South Cantonment police station the same day and searched for the child, but to no avail.

After six days, Nadeem, a paternal uncle of Usman, received a call on his cell phone that his nephew had been kidnapped for a Rs1.5 million ransom. The kidnappers remained in touch with the child’s father and uncle and threatened to kill the boy if the ransom money was not paid.

Liaquat, a jeweller by profession, told the criminals that he could not afford the ransom amount and after negotiations, the felons agreed to release the boy for Rs200,000 and directed the uncle of the child to reach Badian Road. But they kept changing the places and at last asked him to reach a farm at Bahseen village.

The boy’s relatives informed the police about the negotiations and Cantonment SP investigation Babar Bakht constituted a team besides deploying officials in plainclothes around the spot.

Around 1:00am on Saturday, Naveed reached the place and paid Rs200,000 after the kidnappers handed over the child to him. The police team, which was already present there, encircled the criminals and asked them to surrender, but they opened fire.

In retaliatory fire, the police claimed, they shot dead the two kidnappers and recovered the ransom money, a motorcycle, two pistols and a cell phone. The deceased were identified as Muhammad Iqbal of Muzaffargarh and Umar Hayat of Burewala.

CCPO Malik Iqbal has announced cash and certificates for the police raiding team.