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GUJRANWALA, Aug 22: Police killed four kidnappers, who had abducted an expatriate for ransom on Aug 18, after a four-hour encounter in Tetley, some 15kms from here on Wednesday. The expat also died in the ‘crossfire’.
Reports reaching here said that outlaws had kidnapped Farhan Khokhar, who had come from Italy, from Fatehpur village, Sarai Alamgir (Gujrat), and demanded Rs5 million for his release.
Acting on a tip-off that the accused were present in Derh Virkan village in Tetley (Gujranwala), DIG Saud Aziz directed the Gujrat police to conduct a raid there and arrest the accused besides recovering the abductee.
As the police besieged the hideout and ordered the outlaws to lay down their arms and hand them over the expat, the criminals instead opened fire. The police returned the fire. The crossfire resulted in the killing of four criminals and the captor as well on the spot. Among the dead criminals three were brothers. They were identified as Zafar, Iqbal and Nasir and their accomplice Saleem.
Police claimed that outlaw Naser and abductee Ferhan had died due to the firing by the accused party. They said two Kalashnikovs, an 8mm rifle, two 30-bore pistols and several cartridges were found from the hideout.
Deceased Naser, who was involved in a number of murder and kidnap for ransom cases, was recently acquitted by a local anti-terrorism court.
ARRESTED: A federal Investigation Agency (FIA) team (passport cell) arrested two absconders involved in 40 cases of human trafficking after brief encounters here on Wednesday.
Reports said that accused Zafar Butter of Ferozewala was present near the Upper Chenab Canal bridge in Ferozewala when the team, led by operation in-charge Mian Sabir, raided there and asked the accused to surrender. But the outlaw fired at the raiding party. Later, the accused surrendered when police retaliated. The accused had escaped from the FIA team custody some two months back.
The same FIA team raided a hotel in the Iron Market and arrested culprit Azhar Cheema after a brief encounter.
Both the accused have sent hundreds of people to Greece and Turkey illegally.
