SAHIWAL: After four days of investigation, the Ghala Mandi Police in collaboration with the Crime Control Department (CCD) claimed to have recovered a young fridge mechanic who had allegedly staged his own kidnapping and sent fake ransom messages to his parents demanding Rs2 million.

DPO Usman Tipu confirmed to Dawn that the youth was not abducted but had deliberately hidden himself in order to extort money from his family.

According to the police report, Muzamil Hussain, a refrigerator mechanic and resident of Rehman Town in Sahiwal city, disappeared on March 24 when he received a call from a female client requesting a repair near Pakpattan Chowk. Initially refusing to go at night, he later accepted Rs5,000 and left home with his tool kit.

The report said that when Muzamil did not return, his family and elder brother Muhammad Hamza tried contacting him, but his mobile phone was switched off. The family then searched for him at all possible locations for two days without success.

On March 27, they received two text messages from unknown numbers, along with bank account details under the names Ajmal and Ali, demanding Rs2 million for Muzamil’s release. The family then approached the police.

The Ghala Mandi Police registered a case on the complaint of his brother Hamza. The CCD joined the investigation and traced Muzamil’s location near Faisalabad. He was recovered on Saturday noon and investigators brought him back to Sahiwal.

Police revealed that Muzamil had staged the kidnapping drama himself after his father, a retired police officer, refused to give him Rs200,000 to buy a new motorcycle.

Police sources also claimed that they were investigating the role of a Faisalabad-based TikTok Sania, who they claimed had been extorting money from Hamza. Police claimed that she was the one who sent Rs5,000 to him on March 24.

GANG RAPE: The police arrested two men for allegedly gang-raping a shepherd’s daughter and filming the incident at gunpoint in village 9/11-L, Harappa.

The crime came to light when the victim became pregnant.

The Harappa Police arrested the two suspects, while the third, a woman, still remains at large.

According to reports, a group of shepherds developed acquaintance with the 21-year-old victim and started visiting her at her home. Police claimed that on the day of the incident, the two suspects raped the victim at gunpoint and recorded the assault. They later repeatedly raped her by threatening to leak the video. The matter came to the family’s attention when the victim complained of stomach pain.

A village midwife revealed that she was four months pregnant, a fact later confirmed by a private hospital in Dad Fatiyana.

When confronted, the suspects allegedly threatened the family and they then approached the police.

The Harappa Police registered a case on the complaint of the victim’s mother and the two main suspects were arrested. Police were conducting raids to apprehend a female accomplice of the duo.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2026