KARACHI, Jan 12: A businessman who was kidnapped for ransom about a week ago was safely recovered on Saturday after a shootout between police and his captors, one of whom was killed.
The businessman, 52-year-old Sohail Zafar, was kidnapped in the New Karachi Industrial Area on Jan 5 and the kidnappers contacted his family members in the evening to demand Rs4 million for his release.
On Saturday, a joint team of CPLC and AVCU headed by Ahmed Chinoy and DSP Rao Aslam surrounded the point secretly near Sohrab Goth where Mr Zafar’s family members were about to hand over the money.
According to the CPLC, four kidnappers arrived there on two motorbikes along with Sohail Zafar, who was seen sitting between two kidnappers on one of the bikes. As soon as the police intervened, DSP Aslam said, the kidnappers opened fire which was returned.
One of the kidnappers sustained fatal bullet wounds but the others managed to escape, he added. The pistol and motorbike belonging to the deceased, who could not be identified till the evening, were taken into custody.
The DSP said the kidnappers appeared to be Afghan refugees.—Staff Reporter
