KARACHI, Dec 8: A retired colonel recovered by police after a shoot-out with kidnappers in Gulshan-i-Maymar last year did not confirm the stated identity of two suspected kidnappers before an anti-terrorism court on Saturday.

Ehsan Ali and Mohammad Anwar have been charged with allegedly abducting retired colonel Dr Syed Iftikhar Ahmed Abidi, pathologist, and his driver on the Northern Bypass in November last year and demanding a ransom for their safe release.

Appearing before the anti-terrorism court on Saturday, the victim who works as a professor at a private university deposed that he had been abducted with his driver Shahzad and a ransom had been demanded for their release. But he testified while pointing towards the accused persons that they were neither among the kidnappers nor the police arrested them in his presence.

After the completion of his testimony, the court adjourned the hearing till Dec 17 for further evidence.

According to the prosecution, the victim and his driver had been abducted and the accused had demanded Rs20 million for their release.

Later, they reduced the amount to Rs10 million and also released the driver. However, the police raided a house within the remit of the Gulshan-i-Maymar police station, arrested the accused persons after a shootout and also recovered Mr Abidi and another captive identified as Nasir Soomro, it added.

A case (FIR No 362/11) was lodged under Sections 365-A (kidnapping for ransom) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code) read with Section 7 of the Anti-terrorism Act at the Manghopir police station.

The accused were also booked for kidnapping Mr Soomro for ransom, and in shoot-out and illicit weapons cases.