MULTAN, Dec 26: A family which ransomed for their youth for Rs3 million is celebrating his release from the defunct Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in South Waziristan.

The militants kidnapped Muhammad Hasan and his friend Saeed from Bannu on Feb 16 after luring them into a luxury motorcycle deal.

Narrating the ordeal to Dawn, Hassan, of Ghaziabad Chowk near Gulgasht Colony, said he had been deceived and kidnapped by his old school friend, Khan Muhammad.

“Khan, a resident of Miramshah, was my class fellow at a private boarding school of Muzaffargarh a few years back,” he said.

They remained in touch with each after the school. Hasan is doing his family business of hotel industry in the city. Khan visited Multan three times along with his family and Hasan also visited Miramshah three times.

A few months ago, Hasan planned to buy a heavy motorcycle and his friend from the tribal area offered him a luxury vehicle at cheaper rates from Peshawar and invited him to Miramshah.

Hasan with Saeed, a motorcycle mechanic, arrived in Bunnu on Feb 16.

He said Khan sent them to Peshawar with five people introducing them as his relatives. After a few minutes journey, the people traveling with them introduced them TTP members and held them hostage.

He said that kidnappers demanded a Rs200 million ransom for their release, as they believed that he was nephew of Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

The militants continued driving for 14 hours in the rugged terrains of the agency. At once place, they left the vehicle and started the journey on foot which continued for another 24 hours. They confined both in a poorly-lit room in the Ludha area, where two other people were also confined. One of them was Dr Nawaz, a British.

Dr Nawaz told them that talks between the UK government and militants were under way for his release against a Rs70 million ransom and the release of 15 militants in Pakistani authorities' custody.

After four days of the confinement, Ladha TTP chief Zakir met them and asked Hasan to ask his family for the ransom or face death.

He said that negotiations between his family and the captors continued for 10 months and finally militants agreed to a Rs3 million ransom.

He said that kidnappers released Saeed in early December two days before his release as a “goodwill” gesture.

He said that kidnappers sent him to Peshawar through a taxi and asked the driver to drop him on Ring Road. The driver called Hasan's father and handed him over to the family on Dec 20.

Ghulam Shabir, father of Hassan, said that the kidnappers were insisting on a Rs200 million ransom as they believed that Hasan was the nephew of the prime minister.

He said a TTP team arrived in Multan to investigate the fact if Hasan was a relative to the premier. “Once they probed the fact that Hasan was not from the Gilani family, the militants decreased the demand to Rs3 million from 200 million,” he said.

He said the payment of ransom was another difficult task, as the kidnappers wanted the family to pay them the money in Bannu.

“We were afraid of going to Bannu fearing another setup by the militants,” he said.

He said they paid the money through a Hawala company, which charged them Rs100,000 for delivering the money to captors in Miramshah.

He said once they had got the sum, the militants released the boy.

He said that though they had lodged a first information report of the incident, police had expressed their helplessness to rescue of the people from the lawless region.

Gulgasht Station House Officer Malik Ijaz Maswan said that they were unaware of the return of the youth and the deal.

He said the family had contacted police some one-and-a-half month ago.