TAXILA, Dec 30: Despite the lapse of three months, the Hassanabdal police have failed to trace a notorious kidnapper, who allegedly “escaped” from Hassanabdal Police Station on October 16, 2012.

The kidnapper allegedly had links with the banned outfit Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and was a native of Swat valley.

The kidnapper was arrested by Hassanabdal Police in connection with kidnapping and murder of a 21-year-old, who was kidnapped for ransom, on September 29, 2012, from the village of Pind Mehri, in the limits of the Hassanabdal police station. The ransom being demanded was Rs25 million.

A police team led by SP investigations arrested the four-member gang, on October 16, through mobile phone data.

During interrogation, the gang disclosed that they had killed the boy and thrown his body in a well, near Pind Mehri village, as his relatives had failed to arrange the ransom money.

According to an official not wanting to be named, on October 21, the gang leader was brought out from lockup, without handcuffs, on a health related complaint. Once out, he managed to escape in a car, which was waiting outside the police station, said the official.

Taking serious notice of the case, the then District Police Officer (DPO) Hilal Khan ordered registration of a case against seven policemen, including the station house officer (SHO) Mohammad Aslam, SI Mohammad Rafeeq, Moharrar Mohammad Kamran, constables Safeer Ahmed, Yasir Mehmood, Naveed Ahmed and Sohail Ahmed and sent them behind bars, due to negligence of duty. Later the accused cops got bail from court.

Another official in the police department revealed that the accused succeeded to flee from the lockup after allegedly greasing the palms of the relevant cops.

When contacted, SHO Rizwanullah Khan said that on a tip-off police raided the house of the accused, located in Swat, and also other areas but failed to apprehend him.

According to the SHO, the accused has now shifted to the tribal areas.