Two boys who were kidnapped from Lahore after being tricked into coming to the city from outside in connection with cryptocurrency business have been recovered by police.
The kidnappers used the name of FIA to blackmail the families of the abductees and demanded ransom of Rs10 million. Police arrested three of the kidnappers’ facilitators while rescuing the abductees. A case of abduction of the two boys – Harris and Zohaib – was registered in Nawab Town Police Station. SP Sadar Operations Hassan Javed Bhatti said that the boys wanted to make profit from cryptocurrency.
Both are from Chiniot and run a property business. They had a deal with a party in Lahore and the person who arranged the deal called them to Lahore and took them to Thokar Niaz Baig at gunpoint. The kidnappers called their family and demanded ransom of Rs10 million, said SP Sadar Operations.
“When the money was not collected, the brother of the abducted boys contacted the police. Police traced the boys with the help of mobile locations. The abducted boys had by then been transferred to a lawyer’s chamber,” Bhatti said.
While talking to Minute Mirror, Station House Officer (SHO ) Nawab Town Muhammad Qamar said that when he reached there, he knocked on the door several times but when the door did not open, he had to break it down. When he entered the chamber, a security guard was ready to shoot him with his gun, Qamar said. He further said that he overpowered the security guard and rescued the two abducted boys.
Police arrested the kidnappers’ security guard, cook and driver during the raid. The detainees said they did not know the motives of their bosses.
Speaking to Minute Mirror, the abducted boys said that their biggest mistake was that they did not tell anyone that they were going to another city. They stated that they were also tortured. The kidnappers first demanded Rs20 million which was later reduced to Rs10 million. The abductee added that he was pressured to talk to his family members so that they would send the money quickly but the police traced him within hours.
SP Javed said that raids were being carried out to arrest the main accused and they have also informed the FIA to see the online fraud system.
