RAHIM YAR KHAN, May 30: District police claim to have arrested a member of a kidnappers’ gang involved in the six kidnap-for-ransom incidents, District Police Officer (DPO) Sohail Habib Tajik told reporters on Monday. Suspect Abdul Wahab, a member of Shakoor Lund band, is a resident of Belay Shah, Rojhan.

Mr Tajik said the Lund band would kidnap people and sold them to other gangs against a certain price. He said the gangster had confessed to kidnapping a man of Jamaldinwali who was later sold to Dodu Bagyani gang in Kacha Karachi. The man paid Rs280,000 to the buyers and secured release. The gang also kidnapped four people of Kot Faqeera and Sadiqabad and sold them to Ali Dost Lathani gang who were released after paying Rs.1.1 million.

The gangster told police they had also kidnapped a Gopang tribe man from Rahim Yar Khan and released him against a Rs450,000 ransom.

The DPO said police had arrested 27 hardened criminals wanted in kidnapping, robbery, theft, illegal weapons and narcotics cases in Bhong and Sadar police precincts. Police seized three cars, a van, 19 motorcycles, a Kalashnikov, two repeaters, 23 pistols, 1.372 kilogramme heroin, 36 kg charas and 494 bottles of liquor. Bhong police arrested four people involved in kidnapping for ransom, who are: Wazir Ahmed Lathani, Riaz Sheikh, Ajmal Lathani and Rasheed Ahmed Lathani.