SAHIWAL: Dera Rahim police arrested two suspects and recovered a 70-year-old man who was kidnapped for ransom from Chak 150/9-L on Sept 1.

However, police failed to arrest the main suspect believed to be the mastermind of the incident.

Muhammad Sarwar, 70, a farmer of Chak 147/9-L, went to his shop in Rehman Town of Chak 150/9-L to collect rent on Sept 1. He collected the rent but did not return home.

Both of his SIM numbers were switched off. His younger brother, Muhammad Jamil, reported the matter to police the next day. Police registered a case against unidentified persons.

The next evening, the family received a call from an anonymous number and they were

told that Sarwar had been kidnapped.

The caller demanded Rs3m ransom for his release. The family shared information with police who asked them to keep the callers engaged on pretext of striking a deal.

Police traced the location of the callers near the boundary line of Harappa town.

They conducted a raid and arrested Hyder and Ali who were making calls by using different SIMs from the same location.

DSP Taqi Abbas said police recovered Sarwar from a nearby abandoned place. However, they could not arrest the main suspect, Hammad Anwar.

The officer said Hammad was wanted in eight kidnap-for-ransom cases and he had been declared an absconder by the court.

MURDER: A young man beheaded his elderly blind father with a chopper for land at village Dalaale, Rang Shah, tehsil Arifwala.

According to police reports, Ansar killed his 75-year-old father because he was unwilling to transfer ownership of a one-kanal agricultural land in his name.

Rang Shah police arrested Ansar and registered a murder case against him.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2024