Abbottabad police rescue kidnapping victim, arrest two in honey-trap ransom case

ABBOTTABAD: Abbottabad police said that they have dismantled an inter-provincial gang involved in a honey-trap and ransom kidnapping scheme, rescuing an abducted man and arresting two key suspects.

According to police, the victim, Abdul Aziz Malana, a resident of Multan, had travelled to Abbottabad in connection with a marriage proposal when he suddenly went missing and his phone was switched off.

His son, who is based in France, alerted police after receiving a call from an unknown number.

The abductors allegedly sent a video showing the victim in chains and demanded Rs150 million in ransom, threatening to kill him if the money was not paid.

Police said investigators reviewed CCTV footage from the Daewoo bus terminal and found that the victim had boarded a taxi after getting off a bus.

Using surveillance footage, police traced the taxi driver and conducted a raid in the Usmanabad area of Abbottabad, where they arrested two suspects — Waseem Abbas from Khanewal district and a woman identified as Bibi from Lahore.

The victim was recovered safely during the operation, police said.

Investigators said the abduction was carried out by an organised inter-provincial gang.

The woman suspect allegedly lured the victim through a honey-trap before handing him over to accomplices, who held him captive while demanding ransom.

A case has been registered under Section 365-A of Pakistan’s penal code, which deals with kidnapping for ransom, and further investigations are under way.

Police said raids are continuing to arrest other members of the group who remain at large.