ISLAMABAD: Two people have been arrested for allegedly robbing a Canadian senator in F-6, and five alleged kidnappers have also been arrested, officials said on Thursday.

Canadian senator Salma Attaullahjan was robbed on Wednesday while she was shopping in F-6 Markaz. The robbers stole her purse, which contained CAD 4,200, Rs62,000, pearl jewellery and identification documents.

The Kohsar police traced the culprits through footage from the Safe City Project and records of criminals involved in robberies in the capital. The robbers confessed to committing the crime in the preliminary interrogation. Efforts to recover the stolen cash and items are under way.

The suspects have criminal records and were involved in robberies in the Shalimar and Kohsar police areas.

The capital police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (CIA) also arrested five alleged kidnappers and two facilitators, police said.

Syed Akbar Khan was abducted by unidentified individuals at gunpoint on Fatehjang Road on Feb 1, police said, and a case was registered with the Tarnol police in this regard. The kidnappers contacted the victim’s father and demanded Rs50 million for Mr Khan’s release, and the police investigation revealed that the call originated from Afghanistan.

After some negotiation, the kidnappers agreed on a Rs10 million ransom for the victim. The victim’s father travelled to Peshawar to deliver the ransom, and the victim was released 18 days later. The investigation into the kidnapping identified five suspects, leading to their arrest.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2017