Two suspects arrested in O level student’s kidnapping case

Police have made two arrests in the Gulshan-e-Maymar case, in which an O level student was kidnapped on December 12 and had returned home on December 14.

The arrests were made during an operation in Sachal Goth by police officials of the East and Malir districts. District East police chief SSP Irfan Bahadur said that two suspects involved in 19-year-old Syed Mujtaba Ali’s abduction were arrested during the raid.

Police identified the suspects as Abdur Rahman and Arif Malik. Officials also claimed to have recovered two pistols and Rs500,000 from them. Mujtaba had been kidnapped with his car. His abduction case was registered at the SITE Super Highway police station.

“The kidnappers had demanded a ransom of Rs3 million in exchange for Mujtaba’s release,” said SSP Bahadur. He said that after the family had informed the police and refused to pay the kidnappers any ransom, the suspects had threatened to kill the young man.

Following the ransom demands, East Zone police chief DIG Ghulam Azfar Mahesar had assigned a special task to SSP Bahadur for the arrest of the suspects.

A team comprising DSP Ghayoor, DSP Aamir Hameed and Inspector Asif Rauf was formed. The suspects had contacted Mujtaba’s family on December 13 and 14, and collected Rs1.2 million from his mother in the Sachal area.

The kidnappers took the ransom and released Mujtaba but they did not return his car or mobile phone, or his mother’s phone, and instead asked for Rs500,000 more.

SSP Bahadur said the suspects had continued contacting Mujtaba’s family, but due to the fear of the police, they could not collect the additional ransom.

Besides two pistols and Rs500,000 in cash, Mujtaba’s and his mother’s mobile phones were also recovered during the police raid. The vehicle used in the abduction was also seized from the suspects.

A case involving illegal weapons was registered against the suspects. The investigation of the case was transferred to the Anti-Violent Crime Cell for further action. The Karachi police chief, DIG Mahesar and SSP Bahadur have announced commendation and appreciation awards for the police team.

According to the police complaint of Mujtaba’s mother Amna Bibi, in response to her online advertisement to sell a plot, two people had visited their home and checked the relevant documents, then asked the family if they could drop them home, where they would make the full payment of Rs16.5 million.

The family agreed, and they set off towards Taimuria to take the suspects home. As they reached the Admore Pump near Ahsanabad, the suspects first forced Mujtaba’s uncle Osama to get out of the car at gunpoint.

After that they proceeded towards the Jamali flyover, where they told the mother to get out of the car, then they left with the teenage victim, the car and the plot documents.