BAHAWALPUR, July 3: The district police claimed on Thursday to have arrested four members of an inter-provincial gang of kidnappers and recovered son of a local businessman from their custody.

DSP Jam Aslam told newsmen that four motorists on May 14 kidnapped auto showroom owner Khadim Husain’s son Saghir Husain (14) when he went to offer Maghrab prayers in a mosque adjacent to the Saddar police station. Later the accused demanded Rs3 million for his release and agreed on Rs0.4 million payment.

The DSP said Khadim went to Defence Road, Lahore to pay the amount to accused identified as Muhammad Kamran Jajja and Hakim Ali.

According to the DSP, the accused after receiving the amount assured to release the boy but demanded Rs0.2 million more from his father later on. However, Khadim Husain agreed to their demand and asked them to come to Bahawalpur for payment.

The DSP said two accused -- Kamran Jajja of Haroonabad (ringleader) and Ismail Wattoo of Faqirwali, Bahawalnagar – came to railway station to collect the amount where a police team arrested them.

On their indication, the police arrested their two accomplices Akhtarul Islam and Haji Mazhar of Haroonabad from forest area near Karachi Mor and recovered the boy while Hakim Ali managed his escape.

The police officer said during interrogation the accused confessed to four kidnap cases in Haroonabad, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sargodha and Gujranwala in which they received Rs 2.5 million, Rs0.4 million, Rs2.2 million and Rs6.5 million, respectively.