Kidnap for ransom: FIA catches 4 members of Pakistani, Iranian gangs

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), making headway towards identifying gangsters involved in kidnapping of Pakistani citizens for ransom, has recovered four captors - three from Pakistan and one from Iran - with the assistance of Iranian law-enforcement agencies, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

FIA Director Gujranwala Zone Sajid Akram had received information that human traffickers were involved in kidnapping of people going to Iran for pilgrimage and keeping them in illegal confinement in that country. People engaged in the investigation said the Anti-Human Trafficking squad of the FIA conducted raids at hideouts of gangsters and recovered four captors: three from Pakistan, identified as Amin Sohail, Mohammad Abid and Abid Hussain, who were arrested from Hafizabad and Gujrat, and one from Iran.

The FIA said two kidnapped people were recovered from Iran and shifted to FIA Link Office in Iran with the help of Iranian law-enforcement agencies. The victims disclosed that the accused used to torture the hostages inhumanly, make their videos clips and send them to their family members with the demand for payment of US$15,000 each for their safe release.

One of the family members of a victim transferred Rs50,000 for not torturing their son, but they intensified torture sessions and sent his videos repeating their demand for ransom payment in US dollars.

The FIA expanded the investigation circle to Iran and recovered two victims from the custody of a captor, who would be shifted to Pakistan soon.

The gang deceived innocent citizens by offering them employment opportunities in Iraq through Iranian visas. After the reached Iran, the human-smugglers abducted the citizens and kept them in their private jail. During the investigation by the Gujrat Composite Circle, contact was made with the FIA office in Iran to send their data, SIM/WhatsApp numbers of the abductors, and victims’ travel history, CDs, and images, etc. As a result of timely and coordinated efforts by the FIA Gujranwala Zone, two hostages were successfully recovered in Iran, while efforts were under way for recovery of the third hostage. The recovered hostages include Faisal from Hafizabad and Anwar. A human smuggler identified as Talha had also been arrested in Iran due to timely action of the FIA office and Iranian authorities in Tehran.