Karachi police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested four
suspects, including a city warden, over charges of their involvement in
kidnappings and extortion.
A joint team of Anti-Violent
Crime Cell (AVCC), Citizen-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) and city
district police carried out a raid in Kalri area of Lyari and arrested
two kidnappers, namely Mohammad Imran and Mohammad Iqbal and recovered
two TT pistols from their custody, said City SSP Adeel Hussain Chandio
and AVCC SSP Abdullah Ahmed.
Speaking at press conference
at his office, the City SSP said the held suspects during initial probe
“confessed” to their involvement in several short-term kidnapping cases
and receiving ransom through Easypaisa, a branchless banking service.
They
allegedly kidnapped a citizen in Baghdadi area of Lyari on November 19
and received ransom from his family through Easypaisa.
On
December 16, the held suspects kidnapped a motorcyclist near Central
Police Office and released him after getting Rs40,000 ransom from his
family, also through Easypaisa.
They also abducted a citizen from Lasbella Chowk and obtained ransom by threatening his family members.
SSP
Chandio said that this gang was involved in short-term kidnappings
since last six to eight months but the ransom amount they tended to ask
for was so low that the victims did not approach police.
He
revealed that when one such victim reported a case at Kharadar police
station, a joint team of CPLC, AVCC and city police started
investigating the matter and traced and arrested the suspects.
City warden, other suspects held over extortion
Separately, Risala and Docks police arrested two suspected
extortionists, Fareed Ahmed Sabir and Mohammad Shahab and recovered one
pistol and a motorbike from their custody.
Sabir is employed as a city warden, revealed SSP Chandio.
They had allegedly demanded Rs0.5 million as bhatta (extortion) from an old city area trader, Usman Ghani, and had threatened him of dire consequences in case of non-payment.
The
police also seized SIMS of different mobile companies from their
custody, which were being used to carry out criminal activities.
SPP Chandio revealed that an organised gang was allegedly trying to extract bhatta from traders of the old city areas.
