AVCC busts gang of 'kidnappers' having offshore companies

KARACHI: The Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) claimed on Friday it has busted a five-member gang of kidnappers who used to abduct people by impersonating officials of security forces, ARY News reported.

Speaking at a press conference, SSP AVCC Fida Hussain Janveri said sophisticated weapons, fake identity cards and uniforms of security forces as well as other things were seized from the possession of the alleged kidnappers.

He said the kidnappers had set up a fake non-government organisation and had an account in its name, which they used to deposit protection money recovered from abductees for a while and then transferred it abroad. They also owned offshore companies, he added.

The SSP said the gang had kidnapped a businessman along with his driver from the city’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) area and detained them at a farm house near Hub, Balochistan.

They initially demanded an amount of Rs200 million as protection money for their safe release but later agreed to release them on payment of Rs20 million ransom, he said, adding afterwards, the kidnappers left the abductees back in a Karachi neighbourhood along with their car and fled.

He said the businessman then reported the incident to the police which, aided by intelligence agencies, traced out three of the kidnappers on July 1, whereas the remaining two were arrested on July 11 following information provided by their accomplices in police custody.

SSP Janveri said the arrested accused would encroach upon land and fabricate documents using the name of the Pakistan Army with an aim to dent its reputation.

He said raids are being conducted to arrest their other accomplices.