GUJRANWALA, Aug 24: Kidnappers have ‘earned’ Rs268 million in 41 ransom deals in the first seven months of the year in the Gujranwala police range, Dawn has learnt. Police have failed to break the rule of kidnappers, if the number of registered kidnap for ransom cases is to be viewed.

In the first seven months of the year, Sialkot police registered 15 cases of kidnap for ransom, Gujrat 10, Gujranwala 15 and Mandi Bahauddin one.

Regional Police Officer Saud Aziz claimed that police had rescued 25 people from their captors. He says 66 accused were involved in kidnapping cases in Sialkot, 25 in Gujrat, 49 in Gujranwala and 10 in Mandi Bahauddin. Police arrested 22 alleged captors in Sialkot, 21 in Gujrat, 18 in Gujranwala and three in Mandi Bahauddin.

The captors received Rs152 million ransom from the families of abducted people in Sialkot, Rs113 million in Gujrat and Rs3 million in Mandi Bahauddin.

He claimed that in Narowal and Hafizabad, no incident of kidnap for ransom had taken place.

He claimed that four proclaimed offenders involved in kidnap for ransom had been killed in Tetlayali and Muhammad Iqbal and his wife Khalida Bibi in Kharian a few days ago.

City Police Officer Khadim Husain Bhatti said 18 accused captors had been arrested and as many four were killed in encounters.

He claimed that 10 people had been rescued from their captors. He said that police had also seized Rs7.2 million and a huge quantity of illicit arms from the accused.