RAWALPINDI, Aug 4: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) of Rawalpindi on Saturday acquitted three accused of kidnapping a police inspector and a patwari, due to lack of evidence.

ATC judge, Chaudhry Habibur Rehman acquitted the accused Qari Abdul Malik, Sibghatullah Mawiya and Khurram Abbasi, allegedly involved in kidnapping of inspector Rana Pervez and patwari Arshad Mehmood as the prosecution could not produce tangible evidence to prove their case.

Inspector Pervez and patwari Mehmood had gone missing from the outskirts of the city on December 3, 2010. Family of inspector Pervez had told the police that he had gone to meet some unknown person in Tarnol from where he was kidnapped.

The last call he made from his cellphone to his house was from Tarnol.

According to the investigation, the kidnappers wanted to kidnap Rana Sadique, a brother of Pervez, for ransom. The kidnappers’ set-up an appointment with him on the pretext of wanting to buy property.

However, Sadique could not make it to the appointed meeting and instead sent inspector Pervez. Pervez asked the ‘prospective buyers’ to meet him at his house, in sector G-8/4 from where they all left together to see the property in Tarnol.

On the way, they also picked up the patwari.

No one has since seen the inspector or the patwari.

On December 20, 2010, three suspects were picked up when they arrived at Chungi No26, to collect the ransom that the patwari’s family had agreed to pay.