ISLAMABAD, March 3: The capital police arrested a religious scholar for his alleged involvement in blackmailing girls and their families by making forged nikahnama (marriage deed), police said on Saturday.

The Aabpara police was after him for the last four months after registration of a case on the direction of Supreme Court of Pakistan on November 2 last year. Since the registration of the case, the accused was hiding and several attempts made by investigators to arrest him remained unsuccessful.

The arrest was made from Aabpara, where the investigators laid a trap for him, by inviting him under the pretext of getting an amulet (tawiz). But the accused escaped from Aabpara as he got suspicious and was later arrested after a brief chase.

He was produced in the court of law from where he was given in police custody on physical remand. The Aabpara police said that Sabiha Khatoon, a native of district Hatian Azad Kashmir, lodged a complaint with SC’s Human Rights Cell in October 2011.

In her application, she requested for justice as she claimed a man from his native village in connivance with the mufti – Bashir Ahmed Askari – had prepared forged marriage deed claiming her as his wife.

On Thursday, the mufti was arrested from the Aabpara and during interrogation the police succeeded in recovering the forged marriage certificate made for Khursheed, and stamps from him.

Shazia Khatoon, a sister of Sabiha told Dawn that Abid wanted to marry Sabiha, but she and her parents refused. Later he got the forged marriage certificate and approached them to take her with him.