KOHAT, Aug 29: The main accused involved in the kidnapping and killing of a retired colonel and the informer, who provided clue about him to the police, were arrested on Monday.

"The leader of the kidnappers gang, Abdur Razziq, who abducted and killed Col (retired) Shakeel Ahmed Tariq a couple of days back was arrested in injured condition on a lead provided by an informer, Ibrahim alias Bablo of Meri Banda," said a police official.

The accused was arrested from Sultani Banda area located on Bannu road during an operation. The police also claimed to have recovered two hand-grenades from his possession.

The police said that Razziq was injured during exchange of firing, which took place between the police party and the kidnappers on the day of the incident, which had left a police constable dead and two others injured. Mr Tariq was kidnapped on Saturday last.

The sources said that the police investigation team had also found a computerised identity card and a machine gun from the car used in the kidnapping, which helped in reaching the main culprit.

The official said that the accused in his statement recorded in the court confessed to his crime that he had kidnapped the colonel for ransom and shot him dead when he struggled to free himself.

He said that Razziq had escaped along with his accomplices, leaving behind their car after seeing the police in the area.

The official said that Razziq of Momand Agency belonged to a gang of professional abductors of Miramshah, headquarter of North Waziristan Agency. He also divulged the names of his accomplices during interrogation, said the official.

He said that the wife of the deceased had stated in the FIR that three unidentified people kidnapped her husband from the Defence Colony while he was going to offer morning prayers.