BAHAWALNAGAR: The police rescued 14 people of a family, including eight women and children, who were being taken away by kidnappers after they failed to return borrowed money, and arrested eight, out of 12 nominated captors, in two cases at Bakhshan Khan and Takhat Mahal police stations on Wednesday.

Brothers Muhammad Fayyaz, Muhammad Imtiaz and Muhammad Arshad, of Bakhshan Khan, worked at the brick kiln of Shabbir Ahmad Gujjar in Lahore about 10 years back.

They said that during work, they borrowed money from Gujjar, but left the workplace without returning the loan and started working at the kiln of Muhammad Javed at Mauza Kasur Daran.

They said that late on Dec 21, the kiln owner’s son Hamza Gujjar with his 11 accomplices kidnapped the family.

They said that the kidnappers, after bundling the abductees into two vehicles, were coming to Lahore when the police caught them near Bhokan Patan Bridge.

The police registered a case against 12 people for kidnapping the family at Bakhshan Khan police station, while another case was registered at Takhat Mahal police station under the Punjab Arm Amendment Ordinance against three abductors.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2021