BAHAWALNAGAR: A money changer, who allegedly held a five-member team of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) hostage at gunpoint during a raid on his shop at Nadir Shah Bazaar here, has been arrested with weapon, police claimed.

According to A-Division police, a five-member FIA team of Bahawalpur circle led by Sub-Inspector Ms Musarrat Ayub conducted a raid on a jewellery-cum-money changer shop — Ali Raza Jewellers — run by Seth Abid and his son Rizwan Ali, on Dec 5.

The police said as soon as the FIA officials entered the shop and introduced themselves, five men present there attempted to escape with a huge amount of foreign and Pakistani currency.

When the officials tried to stop them, Rizwan, held them up at gunpoint and threatened to shoot them if they did not leave the shop, the police said. As the officials were restrained, Rizwan and others fled the scene, they added.

Police said later a case was registered against the six suspects on the complaint of SI Musarrat at the A-Division police station.

Police arrested Rizwan on Dec 6 and another case under sections 506/B, 353, 186, 149 and 148 of the PPC was registered against him.

District police spokesperson Shehzad Ishfaq said the weapon pointed at the FIA team by Rizwan had also been recovered from him and he had been sent to the district jail.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2021