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DSP among six remanded in police custody in builder kidnapping case

Report in Dawn, Dec 17th, 2020
KARACHI: The administrative judge of the antiterrorism courts has remanded six suspects, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), in police custody in a case pertaining to a builder’s alleged kidnapping for ransom.

The Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) had arrested DSP Rashid Iqbal, his driver Head Constable Nasir, gunmen Nasir, a man named Amir and two others for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping of builder Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui for ransom.

The investigating officer (IO) produced the suspects before the ATCs’ administrative judge to seek their physical remand in police custody for interrogation and investigation.

The IO mentioned that Siddiqui was kidnapped by seven men — four in police uniform in a mobile van bearing registration number BDP-149 and three in a Honda Civic car — on Dec 2 from Mughal Hazara Goth. They handcuffed and blindfolded the builder and shifted him to an isolated place, he added.

He also stated that later one suspect in police uniform introduced himself as assistant director of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and demanded Rs10 million in ransom, but the builder paid him Rs1m, which the kidnappers allegedly received in the Sabzi Mandi area. The culprits also took Siddiqui’s signatures on different stamp papers before releasing him, he added.

The IO said that the police officer, who had introduced himself as the NAB officer, again phoned the builder on Dec 7 and asked him to bring Rs700,000 in the North Nazimabad area, adding that the suspect received the money, but did not return the stamp papers to the builder.

The IO said that an investigation revealed that the builder was kept at the office of Saeedabad DSP Rashid Iqbal and the DSP’s mobile van was used in the kidnapping. He asked the court to grant physical remand of the suspects in the custody of the AVCC for interrogation which was still incomplete.

Allowing the request, the judge remanded the suspect in the custody of the AVCC, directing the IO to produce him on the next date along with an investigation report.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1596110/dsp-among-six-remanded-in-police-custody-in-builder-kidnapping-case