NAWABSHAH, Jan 7: Police have booked two friends on charges of kidnapping for ransom and claimed to have arrested them after an encounter near their house but their neighbours vehemently reject the claim, insisting that the charges are false and no encounter has taken place in the neighbourhood.

B-Section police claimed on Monday that they had recovered a hostage after an encounter in Saeedabad Mohalla near the Double Road in which two dacoits armed with pistols and ammunition were arrested.

Rafiq Ahmed Bhatti told journalists on Wednesday that his brother Shahzad and his friend Arbab Brohi met at the Cattle Market a fake faith-healer, Ali Khan Unnar alias Zakir, who told them that he had special powers through which he could help them earn a lot of money within no time.

He said that the fake healer took Rs50,000 from Arbab and told him that he would give him a winning lottery number, while his brother gave him Rs3,000 to cure his ill mother. But the healer disappeared after taking money, he said.

Mr Bhatti said that after a lapse of two weeks, his brother found him in the city on Monday and brought him to the neighbourhood to force him to pay back the money.

The healer called his brother, told him what had happened to him and asked hi to bring money with him but instead a heavy contingent of police raided the house within a few minutes and arrested Shahzad and his friend.

He said that B-Section police claimed that they were arrested after an encounter, which was a white lie. Instead of arresting the fake healer police booked Shahzad and his friend in a fake kidnapping for ransom case, he said.

Arbab’s father, Dad Kareem Brohi, said that police had wrongly implicated his son in a fake case. He was innocent and just wanted his money back from the fake healer, he said.

Abdul Qayoom Shah, a shopkeeper and former councillor of the area, said that no encounter had taken place in the area. He present at the shop when police raided the house. Two mobiles pulled over near the house and took the two friends away without firing a shot, he said. Babar Shah, another shopkeeper, said that no encounter had taken place neither any fire had been shot during the raid. Police had created a scene, he said.

Ali Mohammad Baloch, a neighbour, said that Shahzad and his friend were innocent and they wanted their money back from the fake healer. No police encounter had taken place in the area, he said.

Sources said that police had demanded Rs400,000 bribe in return for releasing them, when they refused, they booked them in a fake case.

Police stopped this correspondent from meeting the accused, saying that they had been directed by a high official to keep the press away.

DPO Rukhsar Ahmed Khuhawar and SPO of city Aijaz Tareen were not available for comments and SP of Investigation Tahir Noorani refused an interview with them under the lame excuse that no police official was available at the police station due to Muharram duty.

Police have booked Shahzad and Arbab on a complaint lodged by the fake healer’s brother Allah Dad Unnar under section 365-A, 535 and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, and produced them in the ATC Khairpur, which remanded them in custody for six days.