LARKANA, May 15: Local police claimed on Wednesday to have recovered two kidnap victims Izhar Hussain Brohi and Abdul Aziz Vessar and arrested five abductors including a woman.

Addressing a press conference, Larkana SSP Syed Pir Muhammed Shah said police had cordoned off an area near the village of Baharo in Khairpur Mir’s on tip-off about the presence of the kidnappers and their victims.

A brief encounter took place with the outlaws, but police rescued the victims who were abducted on May 6 while going to Larkana from Ratodero near the by-pass, he said.

The arrested kidnappers were identified as Khan Chandio, Samandar Brohi, Roshan Khaskheli, Ghulam Mustafa Khaskheli and Ms Naseem Lashari. They had links with the gang of Wishoo (Scorpion) Chandio, the SSP said and added that the woman used to trap people on mobile phone, invited them for meeting and got them kidnapped. She was around 35 and the cousin of the Khaskhelis arrested in the encounter, he said.

He said they had demanded Rs5 million for the release of the victims, but their relatives failed to arrange the money. In the meantime, police took action and arrested them.