ISLAMABAD, March 5: A man who was kidnapped in the capital last month has been released after payment of a heavy ransom, sources told Dawn on Monday. Fahad Azeem, a private company employee, was kidnapped on February 16 near the motorway toll plaza, an area bordering the jurisdictions of three police stations.

His release came after his family paid the culprits a ransom of Rs1.8 million. The kidnappers had initially demanded Rs10 million.

The FIR of the incident was registered with the Tarnol police after a delay of 10 days, as the police kept on insisting that the victim had been kidnapped in the jurisdiction of Rawalpindi police.

According to the sources, the kidnap victim said he was chased by four persons ridding a red car on the motorway. When he reached the motorway toll plaza, they intercepted him and dragged him into their car after blind folding him.

The kidnappers took him to a house after a 15-minute drive and kept him there along with two other kidnapped persons identified as Saqib and Sohail.

The kidnappers lived in the house along with their family members, the victim said.