KHYBER: Police in Landi Kotal claimed to have made headway in the kidnapping of a local trader after arresting 15 suspected persons.

A police official said that the vehicle in which the elderly trader, Haji Zareef alias Haji Landai, was abducted on August 7 was also recovered, while the whereabouts of the actual culprits were constantly monitored through the use of modern technology.

He said they had collected valuable information by tracing the mobile numbers of the main culprits and that they were closing in on their actual location, possibly in Punjab.

He said that verified evidence collected so far showed the involvement of some local criminals, along with some habitual kidnappers from Peshawar and other cities. He said that it was a clear case of kidnapping for ransom as the abductors had demanded a huge amount of money from the relatives of the abducted trader.

He, however, lamented that the protesting relatives and some residents had unlawfully accused the local police of involvement in the case, which the police had denied.

Meanwhile, the three abducted watchmen of Jabba Dam in Jamrud returned to their homes on Wednesday. Police said that though they were still investigating the abduction of these three men, they reached their homes in Jamrud on Wednesday morning in ‘healthy condition’.

The three watchmen of Jabba Dam went missing about two weeks ago, with no group claiming responsibility for their abduction. Work on the damsite was also abruptly suspended on September 5 with the contractors citing security concerns.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2026