RAWALPINDI, May 9: Criminals who kidnapped a teenaged boy near Pirwadhai over the weekend have demanded a ransom of Rs10 million, police said.

Son of a lawyer, Dilawar Khan, 17, was on his way home in the congested locality when the kidnappers whisked him away on Saturday.

His abduction became known when the boy’s uncle, Saleem Iqbal, who owns a hotel, called him on his mobile phone on Saturday night. Instead of the nephew, the call was answered by one of the kidnappers who broke the grim news with the demand of a Rs10 million ransom for his release, police said.

Inspector Allah Yar, who is probing the case, said the abducted boy, a student of 9th class in Zia-ul-Uloom High School, Raja Bazaar, had been staying with Saleem. His family lives in Mardan. On Saturday, Dilawar came to his uncle’s hotel in Pirwadhai from school.

Inspector Yar said the kidnappers again contacted the family on Sunday and threatened to kill the boy if their demand was not met. But, the kidnappers didn’t give any deadline.

The investigating officer said there had been disputes in the boy’s family in Mardan and Hungu. One of his uncles had been murdered in Pirwadhai by rivals in 2005. But the kidnapping did not seem to be connected with that enmity. Police are confident of tracing the boy soon.