SUKKUR: In a joint move, the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), Karachi, the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) and a Sukkur-Shikarpur-Kashmore police force got a Karachi businessman’s son freed from the clutches of three gangs of kidnappers that had been demanding Rs5 billion for his release.

Mansoor Soomro, an engineer severing with a private firm, was kidnapped in the Defence area of Karachi on June 3 and a ransom of Rs5 billion was demanded from his father, a businessman.

Sukkur range DIG Jawed Alam Odho, along with Sukkur SSP Tanveer Hussain Tunio, told a press conference here on Wednesday that the hostage was got freed safely without payment of any ransom. He described the kidnapping as the biggest ever case of its kind in Sindh in terms of the amount of ransom.

He said the three gangs involved in the kidnapping, belonged to the Shaikh, Mahar and Sabzoi communities. The kidnappers took Mr Soomro to a hideout in the kutcha area of Shikarpur in an ambulance, he said, adding that

The DIG said that the security agencies kept monitoring closely the progress of talks between the affected family and the kidnappers until the criminals agreed to accept Rs1.5 billion for the release of the hostage. In the meantime, he said, the location of the hideout was established.

He said right at the time of the payment of ransom, a tactfully designed operation was carried out to get the hostage freed safely in a raid on the hideout.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2014