SANGHAR, June 1: The Shahdadpur police claimed to have rescued three businessmen and arrested three officials of the excise department under the Anti-Terrorism Act in a kidnapping for ransom case.

The accused were produced in the Anti-Terrorism Court on Saturday and were remanded in five-day police custody.

According to an FIR, the accused, excise inspector Imdad Magsi, sub-inspector Abdul Malik and sepoy Dhani Bux Solangi had kidnapped Jagdesh alias Juggoo, Lalchand, Saroop and Sawar from Shahdadpur road near village Shar Khan.

The accused kept them at the Otaq (a meeting place) of Rab Dino Bhambhro at village Haroon Bhambhro on Shahpur Chakar road.

However, one of the kidnapped man, Lalchand, was allowed to leave to bring Rs400,000 ransom money.

In the meantime, on a tip-off, the SHO of Shahdadpur, Ghulam Sarwar Panhwar, raided the place and recovered the three kidnapped men and arrested the excise officials along with an official weapon.

The accused, Imdad Magsi, told reporters claiming that Jagdesh was a notorious narcotics peddler and he was arrested by the excise police and several bottles of local and imported whisky and beer tins were recovered from his possession.

He claimed that while they were preparing the case at the excise office, the Shahdadpur police raided and arrested them and released the drug peddlers.

The excise officials are kept in a police lock-up.