KARACHI, Feb 10: Five alleged suspects involved in a kidnapping-for-ransom case were killed in what police claimed to be an encounter in Gulshan-i-Hadeed early Thursday morning. A hostage was recovered in the episode.

No personnel of the law enforcement agencies were injured in the encounter.

Mohammad Zubair Khan, 21, was taken hostage by unknown persons in Gulistan-i-Jauhar on December 21, hardly after a week of his love marriage that took place over the internet. His captors had demanded a ransom of Rs10 million for his release. An FIR kidnapping was lodged at the Gulistan-i-Jauhar police station subsequently.

According to a statement issued by the CPLC, on a clue about the kidnapper’s hideout in Gulshan-i-Hadeed, a joint raid was carried out on house no 3206-A in Phase II. An encounter ensued resulting in the killing of five kidnappers and the safe recovery of the abducted, Muhammad Zubair Khan.

Two hand grenades, two kalashnikovs, two pistols and a sizable quantity of ammunition were recovered from their possession, the statement added.

The alleged kidnappers were later identified as Akhtar Brohi, Riaz Kaloro, Wazir Sain and Nazeer Ahmed Jamali. Police are still confused over the identity of the fifth suspect. “He could be Zulfiqar Hangoro or Dr Ashok,” said an AVCC official.

The bodies were sent to the JPMC. Hospital sources said all five persons had suffered gunshots from a close range.

A senior police official requesting anonymity said the kidnappers belonged to two different political parties who had their clout in the interior Sindh.

The body of Akhtar Brohi was taken away to Larkana by his family members, police said.

Police said the sixth suspect who fled in wounded condition was believed to be Ghaffar Abbasi, the ring leader of the gang.

The statement issued by the CPLC said that towards the end of 2005, there was a sudden increase in kidnapping-for-ransom cases mainly carried out by three main gangs; Ghulam Qadir Nohani group, Rano Chano and Mashooq Brohi groups.

Unlike the past practice, they randomly picked up people from Karachi and held them hostage in the Kacha area in interior Sindh.

The first operation against the kidnappers was conducted by the AVCC, the CPLC and the local police on Jan 6, 2006.

The operation lasted for two days, which built pressure on the kidnappers leading to the release of the five kidnapped identified as Mushtaq Sarki, Syed Abu Jafar Zaidi, Syed Shoaib Jafar Zaidi, Qaiser Imam and Abdul Razzak.

The three agencies started another operation on Jan 21, 2006 in Hyderabad and Dadu districts during which Muhammad Faisal Hasan, Majid Zaidi and Tauseef Qureshi, were recovered from Hingoro Goth, Sukkur city, Dadu on Jan 26 with the arrest of eight kidnappers, a CPLC handout said.