KOHAT, April 1: Three out of 21 missing businessmen have been released after they paid ransom to the gang leader of proclaimed offenders operating in Kohat, two victims told Dawn here on Monday.

“We were kept in the inaccessible area of Maidan, along the border between Orakzai and Khyber Agencies where law enforcement agencies are searching the mountains and patrolling the Durand Line for Al Qaeda people,” one of the victims disclosed, adding that everything was in the knowledge of local police but nobody dared to put hand on the criminals.

A captive who was released by his captives a few days ago, claimed that his family paid Rs one million as ransom for his release. He was kept in the Maidan area of Teerah for 43 days and the kidnappers served him one meal a day. The police did not register the FIR on the pretext that they were not sure whether he was kidnapped from Kohat or from elsewhere. He was tortured and harassed by the kidnappers who forced him to travel for two nights and one day on foot to reach Maidan.

Another victim claimed that he paid Rs 4.5 million to the kidnappers through an agent in Kohat. He said he was also kept in the Maidan area.