Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Friday took notice of the alleged presence of a women trafficking ring in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

The matter came to the CJP's attention through a news story published in The News on Feb 22, which narrated the ordeal of a 40-year-old married woman who was sold and taken to Afghanistan, where her abductors demanded Rs300,000 for her return.

The story mentioned the presence of an organised trafficking gang that transported abducted women from Pakistan to Afghanistan using faked marriage documents.

According to The News, City Police Officer Israr Ahmad Khan had said that a few cases of fraudulent marriages had been reported in various police stations of Rawalpindi; however, police had taken action and nabbed all individuals involved in such crimes.

The story also alleged that gang members disguised themselves as matchmakers and trapped families by presenting 'marriage proposals' for their daughters and then used prayer leaders to act as nikkah registrars to solemnise fake nikkahs for a sum of Rs5,000.

The gang, allegedly consisting of 150 members, operates in Khanna Pull, Fauji Colony, Chuhur, and the Koh-e-Noor Mills areas in Rawalpindi, the news story said.

The news story also alleged that the gang had sold a number of women from Pakistan to Afghans and Afghan women to Pakistanis over the course of several years.

An FIR for the 40-year old woman, who was already married and had children at the time of her abduction, was registered on January 1 at the Airport Police Station in Rawalpindi after the woman's husband received a phone-call from Afghanistan demanding Rs300,000 for the release of his wife, who would otherwise be sold to someone else.

The story had also alleged that the husband had sent the woman to work in return for Rs50,000, and was told that she would be returned to him within 15 days.