HYDERABAD, Feb 18: The Latifabad police have arrested seven persons in connection with the kidnapping of a boy who was released after the payment of Rs350,000 as ransom in the last week of January.

Speaking at a press conference here on Wednesday, the DPO, operations, A. D. Khwaja, said the arrested persons were five-year-old Talha's maternal uncle Adeel Ghauri, Iqbal, Salar Hussain Jafri, Irfan alias Munna, Shafiq alias Babla, Ahmad and Farrukh Ahmad.

The DPO said Ghauri had planned the kidnapping after he was denied money by his family for establishing a showroom. He said the police suspected Ghauri's involvement in the kidnapping after telephonic talks with kidnappers and it was decided to give the ransom money to the accused through him.

The DPO said the boy's uncle tried to dodge the police by saying that the bandits had called him in Paretabad but he was spotted by the police near the City Gate Hotel.