Islamabad police arrest two in kidnapping, killing of property dealer

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad police said on Wednesday they have arrested two suspects, including a woman and a serving police constable, in connection with the kidnapping and killing of a young property dealer in Islamabad’s Kohsar area.

Police said that the main suspect and the woman were arrested in separate operations, while a vehicle allegedly used in the abduction was also recovered.

The victim, identified as 30-year-old property dealer Farukh Afzal, was abducted late on May 4 from outside his home in Sector F-6/1, according to a First Information Report (FIR) lodged by his father.

Police initially registered the case under kidnapping for ransom provisions after armed men forced the victim into a car outside his residence around midnight.

Police said the woman has been sent to jail on judicial remand, while the second suspect, arrested from Swat, has been taken into custody on transit remand after approval from a relevant court.

According to Islamabad police SP City Ayaz Hussain, the case was initially registered under kidnapping for ransom provisions at the Kohsar Police Station after the victim was abducted from outside his home in Sector F-6/1 on May 4.

The victim’s father told police that he was asleep at home when he heard commotion outside and later saw unidentified armed men forcing his son into a black vehicle and fleeing the scene.

Police said that multiple investigative teams were formed immediately after the incident, and CCTV footage from Safe City Islamabad was used to trace the vehicle involved in the abduction.

Investigators said that the vehicle was tracked moving towards the motorway and exited at Swabi Interchange.

They said that the car had a fake number plate but was fitted with an electronic tag, which helped identify its registration details.

Police said that further investigation was carried out using the victim’s mobile phone data, which revealed repeated calls from a number later found to be in use by a woman.

Officials said the woman’s location was traced to Swabi and Mardan during the time of the incident and the following hours.

According to investigators, the woman initially told police she had links with the victim and his friends, and claimed one of his friends had promised to marry her.

When questioned about her whereabouts on the night of the incident, she reportedly told police she had gone to check on her mother’s health due to high cholesterol.

Investigators dismissed the explanation, saying cholesterol is not an illness that poses an immediate life threat.

Police said that she later requested time to think before allegedly confessing to involvement in the kidnapping and killing.

Officials said that the suspects later led police to the recovery of the victim’s body from Mardan district, where a post-mortem examination confirmed death due to severe head injuries.

However, the woman’s mother has rejected the allegations, saying that her daughter had visited her in Swabi due to illness and was not involved in the case.

Investigators said the accused, along with a serving constable from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police, had planned the crime out of personal enmity.

They alleged the constable was brought to Islamabad by the woman before the abduction and was provided with the victim’s location.

Police said the victim was abducted from outside his home and taken to Swabi, where he was allegedly tortured and killed. His body was later dumped in a deserted area near Mardan.

Investigators said the constable later travelled to Swat in the same vehicle, while the woman returned to Islamabad via taxi service.

Police added that further raids are under way to arrest other suspects linked to the case.