KARACHI: A banker who had been kidnapped two weeks ago was safely recovered on Friday morning while two suspected kidnappers were shot dead in an operation jointly carried out by the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) and Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of police on the outskirts of Karachi, according to officials.

The senior official of a private bank, Ghous Ahmed, 35, had been kidnapped on August 14 from the Superhighway.

On Friday morning, a team of the SIU and the CPLC officials conducted a targeted raid on a hideout of the kidnappers on the Northern Bypass, said CPLC chief Zubair Habib. He added that in an exchange of fire with the kidnappers, the two suspects were killed while the banker was safely recovered without paying any ransom.

One of the deceased was identified as Amir Bux, the CPLC chief said.

According to him, Mr Ahmed along with some family members stopped near a restaurant on the Superhighway to replace a tyre after they had a puncture on their way back home on August 14. He got out of the car to replace the tyre when some armed men took away mobile phones, cash and other valuables from him and his family at gunpoint. After some time, the suspects came back and took Mr Ahmed away at gunpoint, said the CPLC chief.

The kidnappers later called the family to demand Rs15 million and 40-tola gold ornaments in ransom.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2015

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