ATTOCK, July 16: The Chacch Interchange on the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway (M-1) has become an easy access way for criminals to enter the Attock district from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, causing an increase in serious crimes particularly kidnapping for ransom, robbery and vehicles theft, it has been learnt.

Police sources said the Swabi district of KP was a few kilometres from the Chach Interchange after opening of the interchange in the Hazro police circle a year back to give access to the residents of Attock district to M-1. Earlier, the distance between Swabi and Attock districts was over 200 km via the G.T. Road but outlaws avoided to use it due to the checking points of law enforcing agencies particular the checkpost jointly manned by the Attock police and Rangers on the Attock bridge. Though the new interchange facilitates the people and motorists, it has given an easy access to criminals from tribal areas to enter the Attock district and escape back easily.

A gang of armed men kidnapped Malik Safdar, the owner of a plaza at Kamra Cantonment near Jatiyal village on June 28 last year and managed to escape to Sakhakot in the Malakand division through the Chacch Interchange, sources said. Later, the body of the victim was recovered from a deserted place near Pashtakara village of Peshawar on August 9. The gang had demanded Rs500 million ransom for his release. Just a day after that, the operation manager of a bank was also kidnapped from near the same interchange and taken to Sakhakot.

The gang later demanded a ransom of Rs10 million for his release; however, the victim was reportedly recovered by the Attock police and the KP administration in a joint operation on Aug 17. Recently, a renowned businessman, Sheikh Tariq Jameel, was also abducted by an unknown gang from his warehouse near Haro toll plaza of Attock Saddar police, who later demanded Rs50 million ransom for his released.

However, after five-month-long negotiations over the ransom amount, Mr Jameel was released on June 29. Such incidents have created great insecurity and harassment among the residents of Hazro tehsil in particularly and the entire Attock district in general. Besides, highway robberies, theft and car lifting incidents have also increased in which victims are either killed or injured after being deprived f their valuables.

Moreover inter-provincial drug smugglers and gamblers have also escalated their movement in the area, causing an increase in the gambling and drug activities.

When contacted, Subdivisional Police Officer Hazro, Syed Akbar Abbas said the police were fully vigilant and special pickets had been set up near the entry and exist points of Chacch Interchange. He claimed that patrolling had also been intensified on the highways which linked the Chacch Interchange.— Yaqoob Malik