KARACHI - Militant elements are using Afghan soil to generate funds from country’s commercial hub, The Nation has learnt.
According to the details, militant elements are using Afghanistan’s soil to generate funds through various sort of criminal activities including kidnapping for ransom, robberies and extortion. It is worth mentioning here that the numerous cases of extortion and robberies have been reported earlier.
The cases of kidnapping for ransom have also been reported and number of people have earlier been abducted but kept inside the country while militants made calls from Afghanistan and even collected ransom amount in Afghanistan. The interprovincial transportation of the kidnapping victims has been witnessed in the militant criminal history.
Renowned filmmaker Staish Anand case in which Anand abducted from Karachi and militant affiliated with Taliban namely Haroon Rashid took him to Wazirstan where family paid the ransom amount for the release of Anand. Recently, a father namely Khair Muhammad paid Rs10 million in Afghanistan and get released his eleven years old son Muhammad Sarwer.
Police said that Sarwer was playing outside his residence located in Rashidabad area of SITE Police station when unknown men kidnapped him on January 13, 2016. The family of the missing child running after their child everywhere and finally registered an FIR in SITE Police station under section 365/A, 506/B and 25/34 under telegraph act. Khair Muhammad said that the some four days later, culprits made a call from Afghanistan and demanded rupees 100 million for his release. He said that the another caller made the call from local phone number and asked Khair Muhammad to reach Faisalabad, Multan and Mardan.
He said that he also received phone call from Masqat to mount pressure for paying ransom amount. The negotiations between the family and kidnappers remains underway over period of two years while police and Anti Violent and Crime Cell teams failed to produce the child. During negotiations, militants shown consensus over the ransom amount of rupees 10 million.
Khair Muhammad rushed Afghanistan through Chaman Border and handed over Rs10.05 million to the kidnappers. He had bought the Afghanistan mobile phone SIM card and informed the kidnappers about his location to get his child back. He said that at least four kidnappers on two motorbikes rushed to the spot and taken away the ransom amount while another motorbike rider came to deliver his child within couple of hours. He said that he took his child to Afghan border where AVCC police officials were waiting.
It is worth mentioning here that the use of Afghanistan’s soil remains continue within the country and militants and criminal elements still considering Karachi as fund generating hub for militant groups. Recently, Clifton division police busted a gang of bandits which resulting bandits comrades threaten police officers while making calls from Afghanistan.