KARACHI: Despite the fact that the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) had recovered two young men from the Shah Latif Town police station a day before, police did not register a kidnapping-for-ransom case against two sub-inspectors (SIs) and three private persons responsible for such an abduction, it emerged on Monday.

The AVCC had on Saturday raided the Shah Latif Town police station and recovered teenage cousins Arman Khan and Asad Khan.

Their family alleged that SI Shahid and SI Mushtaq, along with three private persons — Ahmed Khan, Iqbal and Arif — had kidnapped both the cousins from Zakaria Goth, kept them at the police station and demanded money for their safe release.

On Monday, police registered a case on the complaint of Hukma Bibi, mother of Arman, under Sections 385 (putting a person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 384 (punishment for extortion) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code against the two policemen and three private persons.

AVCC had recovered two teenage cousins in raid on Shah Latif police station; suspects demanded Rs1.8m from family for their release

Area SHO Muhammad Mithal told Dawn that SI Mushtaq and three private persons were arrested while SI Shahid was still at large.

He said that a kidnapping-for-ransom case was not registered because it was an “issue of extortion”.

The complainant woman named the suspects in the FIR and stated that they demanded extortion and threatened to kill both the teenagers in case of non-payment of the money.

Narrating her ordeal, the complainant said that her son Arman and his cousin Asad left their home in the afternoon on April 15 to buy some Iftar items but did not return. At around 8pm, her daughter, Bakhtawar, received a phone call from her brother who told her that they were in police custody. Then a man took the phone and introduced himself as a policeman without disclosing his name. He demanded Rs2 million for the release of the two cousins. Later, they reduced the demand to Rs1.8m, but warned that in case of the non-payment the police would send them to jail.

The complainant informed her brother who approached the AVCC which carried out a raid at the Shah Latif Town police station and recovered the teenagers.

Policeman held over snatching motorcycle

A policeman was arrested for his alleged involvement in snatching a motorbike from a citizen on Monday.

SSP-East Zubair Nazeer Shaikh said that four suspects snatched the two-wheeler near Airport on Sunday. Luckily, a tracker was installed in the hijacked bike and with its help the two-wheeler was traced in Police Lines on Sharea Faisal.

The officer said that Constable Zeeshan, posted at the Investigation Branch of the East police, was arrested. However, his three accomplices managed to escape, he added.

A video also went viral on social media in which people were seen gathered outside the Police Lines.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2023