KARACHI: A 33-year-old man belonging to a business family, who had been kidnapped for ransom over a week before Eid, was safely recovered on Thursday after an encounter that left two of his kidnappers dead while another two were taken into custody, officials said.

The technology- and human intelligence-based operation was conducted by a joint team of Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) and Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) in the slum area of Soomar Goth near Gulshan-i-Hadeed, off the National Highway. Three of the four kidnappers were identified as Abdul Malik alias Haji, his son, Shahbaz Jatoi, and Miandad, while the identity of one of the deceased could not be ascertained, the officials said.

According to CPLC chief Zubair Habib, Masood Feroze had come back home in Bahadurabad from the US to celebrate Eid. After procuring fodder for sacrificial animals, he was about to get into his car in Dhoraji Colony on Aug 23 when the suspects kidnapped him at gunpoint. They took him to a deserted place where they shifted to another vehicle and brought him to their hideout near Gulshan-i-Hadeed.

With the “help of technology, previous data of criminals and human intelligence”, the joint team of CPLC and AVCC finally conducted the targeted raid in the early hours of Thursday on their hideout near Gulshan-i-Hadeed where the kidnappers opened fire on them, the CPLC chief said.

In an ensuing exchange of fire, two kidnappers were shot dead and their ring leader Abdul Malik alias Haji was arrested in injured condition while the captive was safely recovered. The fourth kidnapper, Shahbaz Jatoi, surrendered to the law enforcers following the killings.

Mr Habib told Dawn that the kidnappers had demanded Rs150 million as ransom for safe release of Feroze.

The CPLC chief said this was a “very old” gang of kidnappers who had also remained involved in car-lifting cases in Karachi. He said Abdul Malik alias Haji belonged to Dera Murad Jamali, Balochistan. He had remained involved in criminal activities there as well, the CPLC chief said, adding that whenever he came to Karachi, he came along with a new gang of kidnappers.

The CPLC chief said members of the same gang had abducted a man, namely Ghaus, from the Superhighway some two years ago. Ghaus was travelling along with his family when his car developed some fault on the highway, he said. In the meantime, the criminals appeared there and snatched cash, mobile phones and other valuables from the family before fleeing. After a while, however, they returned to kidnap Ghaus at gunpoint for ransom. The captive was later released after a similar operation, recalled Mr Habib.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2017