GUJAR KHAN, Dec 21: The local police have failed to trace a driver who mysteriously went missing in November 2007, causing agony to the whole family, including his speech-impaired aged mother.

Sheikh Mohammad Ramzan, a resident of Jabber Islampura town, told Dawn that his son-in-law, Nazakat, was earning his living by driving a passenger van on rent.

According to Mr Ramzan, on the morning of November 26 last year some unidentified persons hired the vehicle and since that day, Nazakat had been missing.

He said few days after his son-in-law’s disappearance, some unidentified caller had demanded Rs1.2 million ransom. The two sides later agreed to Rs800,000 ransom but the caller never made a contact.

Mr Ramzan told this reporter that the cellphone of Nazakat was recovered by the police from a local resident, but the police let the man go scot free and no effort was made to track down the culprits.

He alleged that the police were exhibiting traditional callousness in this case. Mr Ramzan asked Regional Police Officer Nasir Khan Durrani to take measures for early recovery of the missing man.