KOHAT, Jan 29: Gunmen kidnapped a businessman on Hangu road on Monday in the ninth strike in the city during the last 20 days.

Mehtab Hussain was kidnapped in the Ustarzai area by unidentified gunmen, who whisked him away to the Orakzai Agency. The Ustarzai police have registered the case and initiated investigations.

A shopkeeper, Hafiz Din, was kidnapped last week, while a young boy, Gul Faraz, was kidnapped in the Garden Colony. The kidnappers have demanded Rs2 million ransom from Faraz’s family.

Noor Mohammad, an employee of the district accounts office, has also been missing for the last six days. Hashmat Khan, son of Mohammad Ashraf, and a doctor have also gone missing. The doctor is believed to have been kidnapped in Kohat while travelling from Bannu to Peshawar some days ago.

The police were hiding the names of two brothers and some other kidnapped persons to cover up the rise in kidnappings for ransom during the last few days.

A property dealer, Faqir Hussain, has been missing for the last nine months, but the police and the political authorities of Darra Adam Khel have refused to take the case on the pretext that the victim had entered the tribal area where he was held hostage by some gang.

Social and business circles expressed their concern over the deteriorating law and order situation.

They said that 18 men and four women had been kidnapped in a year and those who had been recovered had paid huge amounts in ransom.

Last week, Dr Raheem Afridi was recovered after five days when the medical community warned of indefinite strike.