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Published 10 Mar, 2014 07:39am

Case registered against Taliban for extortion attempt

ISLAMABAD: The capital police have registered a case against unidentified activists of the outlawed Taliban on the charge of demanding Rs15 million from a real estate dealer.

According to a police official, a resident of sector G-15 found a letter delivered to his office located in the same sector.

“The letter written by Taliban stated that every Pakistani should wage Jihad against the United States. Some Pakistanis have been doing Jihad with swords and others with their wealth.”

The sender of the letter said they had been waging Jihad with sword but now they needed money to carry it on. They told the real estate dealer that he was lucky enough to have resources to contribute in the religious duty.

The police official said the writers of the letter, which was sent by post, stated that they knew the real estate dealer had only one son - three-year-old. “If funds are not provided to us, we will kidnap your son,” the letter warned the property dealer, according to the police official. The official said the Taliban also told the complainant how to pay the amount.

“After arranging the money, you have to write the address of your office on a paper and paste it on the main gate of a cooperative housing society,” he said.

After this, you will be informed how to hand over the money to us,” added the letter.

While talking to Dawn, the complainant said soon after receiving the letter in January, he had informed the Tarnol police who received the application. But after investigation of about two months, the police could not find any clue to the suspects and finally registered the case,” he said.

He said the letter showed that Taliban were active in the limits of Tarnol police. “A few months back, a man from the nearby Khadana village was kidnapped by the Taliban and after a while he returned. I don’t know if he had paid ransom or police recovered him,” he said.A police officer said though the letter had been sent by post, it seemed the stamps on the envelope had been tampered with.

“It is not possible to read the stamps on the envelope, so there is the possibility that officials of the post office concerned were also involved in it,” he said.

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