RAHIM YAR KHAN: The dacoits who had kidnapped three men near Mahi Chowk on Friday, shared more videos on social media on Saturday, showing a victim being tortured and appealing to police for his release.

Three masons — Ghulam Mustafa Mirani, Bakht Ali Mirani and Ali Nawaz Malik — were kidnapped on Friday while travelling on Guddu Road near Mahi Chowk in Kotsabzal police limits.

Following the kidnappings, people of Mirani and Malik clans had blocked Guddu-Kashmor road in protest against the kidnappings despite an ongoing police operation against the dacoits in the area.

The dacoits had uploaded a video showing the three men in their custody, demanding release of three men and two women allegedly picked up by police in Sadiqabad.

On Saturday, the dacoits shared more videos on social media, one of these showing a kidnapped man in chains, appealing to Punjab police to accept the kidnappers’ demand for their release.

They said they were being starved by the kidnappers for the last few days.

The video clip also shows one of the dacoits beating a kidnapped man with a stick, who cries in pain.

Another video shows a man introducing himself as Sakhi Sultan alias Saltu Shar, and claiming that he was a dacoit but abandoned the criminal activities and started living peacefully.

He alleges that Sadiqabad station house officer picked up his sick mother, a sister-in-law and some other persons and kept them in illegal custody.

He warns if his mother was harmed the police would be responsible and he would not spare them.

Police spokesperson Saif Ali Wains did not respond to the phone calls made by this correspondent for his version.

Published in Dawn, September 4th, 2022