LAHORE, Jan 29: An industrialist kidnapped along with his driver from near Raiwind Road on Saturday was recovered by police on Sunday from Lillah interchange in the salt range.

The Lahore, Jhelum, Chakwal and Motorway police undertook the search and found an injured Syed Feroze Hassan abandoned near Sardi village. He had been tortured by the kidnappers.

One of the four kidnappers, belonging to the banned Lashkar-i-Islam of Khyber Agency, was held in the search operation.

According to police sources, the billionaire who owned the Nazir Paper Mills had been kidnapped for ransom and an attempt was made to take him to Peshawar.

Mr Hassan was going home with his driver when four men in a vehicle intercepted them on Alipur Road near Kachi Kothi in Nawab Town and took them away along with their car.

The sources said the bearded kidnappers acted like commandos.

They left their own vehicle, the victim’s car and the driver near Kallar Kahar when they found out that Motorway police were chasing them.

The sources said the militant group led by Mangal Bagh had links with the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan and there was a possibility that it might have kidnapped other important people for ransom in different parts of Punjab over the past few months.

Nawab Town ASP Jahanzeb Khan said a search for the kidnappers was under way in the mountainous jungle area and one of them was injured.

Deputy Inspector General (Operation) Ghulam Mehmood Dogar said the police had found the kidnapped industrialist within 15 hours.

He said a Motorway police inspector had pointed out the direction in which the kidnappers had fled after leaving the cars and the driver.

He said police had clashed with the armed men several times during the search operation in the jungle.

Mr Dogar said the kidnapped man had managed to flee during a shootout between police and the kidnappers, one of whom had been held in the morning.