KARACHI: Three suspected kidnappers were killed in an alleged police encounter in the Manghopir area on Tuesday. The encounter led to the recovery of two kidnap victims, officials said.

They said that a joint team of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) and Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) raided a hideout in Lado Goth, Manghopir, on credible intelligence reports about the presence of kidnappers associated with an organised gang, who had also held hostage some people for ransom. The raid triggered an exchange of gunfire.

“Personnel of the law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area,” said an official at the AVCC. “The armed men attacked the raiding team from inside the hideout when it was busy taking positions. The attack led to response from our side, which triggered an exchange of gunfire. After the guns fell silent, the police team searched the hideout and found all three armed men dead. The team recovered two men who were held hostage.”

In a statement, the AVCC said that the recovered men were identified as Mohsin Marri and Zulfiqar Wassan, who were kidnapped from SITE-Superhighway for Rs50 million ransom. A case regarding their kidnapping was registered and formal investigation process began.

“The case was transferred to the AVCC,” said the statement. “The investigators as per their strategy engaged the kidnappers through families of the victims to bargain on the ransom amount.”

It said that in the meantime, with the technological support of the CPLC, the investigators traced the location of the kidnappers, established their identity and ascertained their criminal group.

The AVCC identified the dead suspects as Ali Gohar, Naukaaf and Shafiullah. They were also nominated in a kidnapping for ransom case registered against them in 2020.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2021