TAXILA: Police on Wednesday busted a gang that abducted, tortured Afghan nationals, and extorted ransom money through a “honey trap” under the pretext of issuing visas for European countries. Three abductees were also recovered.

Three members of the gang were arrested, while a hunt was launched to capture three other members, who remain at large. The police spokesman has said that the six-member gang comprising Ajmal Baseer, Shahid, Hadi and Sabir all natives of Afghanistan, and Bilal Arif, a native of Attock and Abdullah, a native of Mohmand Agency. The suspects lured Afghan families by promising them European visas.

The gang lured an Afghan family comprising a widow, Nargis, and her two sons Abdul Majeed and Abdul Momin, and took them to an unidentified location in the limits of Wah Saddar police station and extorted money from their family by keeping them in illegal confinement, subjected them to severe torture and extorted money from their families.

The family contacted police and through human and digital surveillance, police traced the hideout of the gang and safely recovered the three members of the abducted family. Police also arrested three members of the gang while a hunt has been launched to arrest the other members of the gang.

Meanwhile, the Wah Cantonment police on Wednesday busted a gang involved in street crimes and snatching and arrested three suspects. They also recovered looted items and weapons utilised in different criminal activities.

A police spokesman said that acting on a tip-off, a police party raided the hideout of the gang and arrested three members identified as Faizan, Ahsan, and Anoosh. The spokesman added that looted items and weapons were also recovered from the gang.

The spokesman said during preliminary interrogation, the gang confessed to several snatching activities in the area.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2025