BAHAWALPUR, Nov 11: A government servant, who was among the occupants of a vehicle ‘hijacked’ a fortnight ago, reached home after paying a Rs150,000 ransom on Tuesday.

A police source told Dawn that five passengers on board a van were coming to Bahawalpur from Rahim Yar Khan when some people hijacked the vehicle near Channigoth, about 70 kilometres from here, two weeks ago.

The Channigoth police registered a case of mysterious disappearance of the vehicle, and the police in Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan also were put on alert.

Masood Aziz, a government employee, returned home but declined to disclose the circumstances which led to the van hijack and how he whiled away in trying conditions.

One of his relatives, upon contact, told Dawn that Masood’s parents first sought police help for the recovery of their son, but later arranged the ransom by selling their household valuables. He quoted Masood as having said that the other passengers too paid ransom to win release.

DPO Azhar Hameed Khokhar said more details would be gleaned through Masood. He said the police had traced through mobile phone calls the location in Rajanpur where the kidnappers had kept the victims.

He claimed that the police had already arrested two of the culprits and recovered the van. The (remaining) absconders would be arrested very soon, he added.

Meanwhile, the Uch Sharif police claimed to have recovered a girl, Musarrat by name, who was allegedly abducted on her Mehndi night about a week ago.

The police said Muhammad Husain, along with his accomplices, abducted the girl and subjected her to sexual assault.