RAWALPINDI: Links of a group of extortionists who had been arrested by police and were being housed in Central Jail Adiala have been traced to a group member in Karachi, who remains at large.

He was wanted by police for sending threats to two jewellers in Rawalpindi. A police team will be leaving for Karachi to arrest the man.

This member of the group, who is a resident of Karachi, recently came to Rawalpindi to meet his accomplices in Central Jail Adiala and during his stay called the jewelers and threatened them. He demanded Rs5 million from each trader.

Following his meeting with his accomplices in jail the accused, whose name is being withheld by Banni police, left for Karachi.

Inspector Nadeem Zafar, who has been investigating the case, told Dawn that since Tanveer Mukhtar and his brother had received extortion calls on November 21, police had been working to trace the suspect who was making the calls.

“First he was located calling from Sadiqabad area and then somewhere from kutchery, but later he was located in Karachi,” Inspector Zafar said.

He said police believe that the accused could be a close relative or a friend of the gang already arrested by police for their involvement in extortion cases in Banni and Waris Khan areas.

The gang members were trying to reach a compromise with their victims, but after failing to convince them, their group member started threatening other traders. The two jewelwers in Banni were their latest prey, he said.

He said a police team will leave for Karachi to arrest the accused soon after the Chehlum of Hazrat Imam Hussain.

Published in Dawn December 10th , 2014