Rawalpindi Police bust robbers’ gang

Rawalpindi
The Rawalpindi Police, tracing the last week’s Rs70 million robbery case, have busted a gang, comprising retired army officers, serving police officers and civilians, and arrested five members of the racket, Regional Police Officer (RPO) Mohammad Wasal Fakhar Sultan Raja disclosed in a press conference here on Wednesday.
The RPO, appreciating the performance of the police team engaged in the investigation of the case, said that Rs38.6 million have been recovered from the gangsters while the remaining amount was secured and would be recovered in a couple of days.
A gang of robbers, impersonating themselves as officials of an intelligence agency, kidnapped the ‘carrier’ of a Karachi-based money exchange company, Galaxy, snatched Rs70 million cash and sped away after throwing him in the jurisdiction of the federal capital on April 22.
The RPO, telling details of the episode, said that the gang-leader, identified as Javed Iqbal, is running money exchange business in the Middle East for quite some time.
The ‘carrier’ landed at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIA) with Rs70 million cash, while a gang member, later identified as Rashid, followed him from Karachi and landed at the BBIA with him, the RPO said adding that he kept in touch with other members of the gang from Karachi to Benazir Bhutto International Airport.
Two retired army officers — Colonel (r) Qaisar and Major (r) Qadir — reached the airport along with serving ASI Rashid and three civilians hailing from Gujranwala, and kidnapped the ‘carrier’ in a black Prado introducing themselves as personnel of an intelligence agency.
Mohammad Wasal Fakhar Sultan Raja said it was a great achievement on the part of the personnel engaged in the investigation of the case, that they made headway to the gangsters and arrested ASI Rashid, Zakaullah, Mohammad Ashfaq, Rashid, while the police authorities have written to the military hierarchy for the arrest of two retired army officers.
Meanwhile, sources disclosed that the remaining looted amount is with the retired army officers which is yet to be recovered.