ISLAMABAD: The Rawalpindi Police has denied before the Supreme Court reports of a gang which kidnaps women and trafficks them to Afghanistan being active in the city.

This claim was made in a report submitted by the regional police officer (RPO) in the Supreme Court, which had taken suo motu notice of a report regarding the kidnapping of a 40-year-old mother from Rawalpindi, who is thought to have been sold multiple times and sent to Afghanistan, where her abductors are now demanding Rs300,000 for her return.

In a four page report, the RPO Rawalpindi explained that only one case was registered on Jan 10, 2017 at the Airport Police Station in Rawalpindi regarding the abduction of a married woman.

However, he said, no one residing in either Fauji Colony or Khanna Pul was found involved in the activity, as claimed by the media.

Police report says case on which SC took suo motu notice was not one of abduction

Explaining the details of the case as reported in the media, the report says that on Jan 10, one Arshad Mehmood Abbasi had lodged an FIR at the Airport Police Station saying that his wife, who is a matchmaker, was abducted on Dec 3, 2016 by Mukhtiar, a resident of Chur Harpal.

He had claimed that the suspect had lured his wife with the pretence of meeting with a client.

A search was then conducted in Chur Harpal and its surrounding areas for the suspect and a raid was also conducted in Mukhtiar’s native village but he was not found.

The police searched the Dar-ul Aman and Edhi homes in the twin cities but could not find any leads.

The complainant Arshad Mehmood Abbasi said his son had received a telephone call from Afghanistan on Feb 16 in which the caller had demanded Rs300,000 as ransom for his wife, saying he had married her because he thought she was unmarried.

After this development, the police report says, other law enforcement agencies were approached to cooperate in the recovery of the victim from Afghanistan.

When Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar had on Feb 23 taken suo motu notice of the matter, the police had increased efforts to recover the victim and arrest the culprits which led to Mukhtiar and two of his accomplices being apprehended.

During interrogations, Mukhtiar is reported to have said that him and the victim were partners in the match making business and had planned to rob the person who marries her and that she will return to Mukhtiar later to repeat the cycle.

According to the police report, the missing woman was married to a man from Swabi through a woman named Gulab Zari, who is another matchmaker and also knows Mukhtiar.

However, all did not go according to plan since the person that the missing woman was married to became suspicious of fraud and he had therefore called her son and demanded that the expenses he had incurred during the wedding be repaid.

When he had not received a reply, the groom had taken his new bride to Afghanistan, the report said.

According to the report, Gulab Zari had also admitted that she had married off the missing woman to 60-year-old Nobat Khan who is an Afghan national and was residing temporarily in Mansehra. She said that at the time of the wedding, she did not know the victim was married and that if given the chance, she may be able to get her back from Afghanistan.

The report said the police were available for the safe recovery of the victim through Gulab Zari and others.

The city police officer has been directed to supervise the investigation of the case personally and ensure the early recovery of the victim and the arrests of the remaining accused, the report said.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2017