ISLAMABAD, April 27: A lawyer was kidnapped and subjected to severe torture by unidentified people here on Saturday.

Police said two vehicles - a Vitz and a Toyota Corolla - intercepted Mujeebur Rehman Kiani near Kachnar Park at I-8/3 when he along with his gunman and some other people was going towards I-9.

However, the lawyer’s gunman carrying an automatic rifle did not retaliate and escaped from the scene, the police said.

As a result, the riders of the two cars bundled the lawyer into one of their vehicles and sped away.

After getting information, the police alerted all its pickets and patrolling teams. Hours later the lawyer was found injured at Japan Road in Sihala and shifted to hospital.

The police quoted the injured as saying that the abductors subjected him to severe torture. The kidnappers later threw him on the road and escaped.

The victim told the police that he had been receiving threatening calls, demanding a ransom of Rs70 million.

Advocate Malik Khurram, one of the colleagues of Mr Kiani, told Dawn that the calls had been made from Afghanistan.

Besides, some of his colleagues alleged that an intelligence agency was behind the abduction.

However, the police expressed doubts over the claims of the lawyer and his colleagues.

The preliminarily police investigation said the lawyer along with his colleagues was engaged in a physical brawl with the staff of a restaurant located in Jinnah Park a month back.

The staff was beaten and later a case was also registered against them with the Civil Lines police.

The lawyers also pressured the police not to entertain the complaint of the restaurant staff against them.

The police believed that either the hotel staff or some other persons had abducted the lawyer. Those who kidnap someone for ransom never release their victims like this, the police added.

The allegation that an agency was behind the abduction and torture also seemed weak, the police said.

According to the police, the victim along with other lawyers had participated in a protest rally which reached the Army House a month back.

The protest was held against demolition of a wall at the district and sessions court in Rawalpindi. But it was not the individual act of the lawyer, the police said.

The police said the victim had not yet nominated anyone for his abduction and torture.