KHYBER: A Jamrud resident has sought his son’s immediate recovery after accusing Khyber police of kidnapping his adolescent son and holding him for ransom.
Attaullah Afridi claimed during a press conference on Wednesday at the Jamrud Press Club that his son Khubaan had gone shopping for Eid at Karkhano Market and was picked up by the local police.
Since then, he claimed, Suhail, a police official, has been extorting his family for ransom. He claimed that after approaching his other son, the official took his kidnapped son and took him to a secret location.
According to Mr. Afridi, his son is innocent and no police station has a case against him. He continued by saying that other police officers were acting as though they had no idea that his kid had been “arrested” for any crime.
He claimed that, in vain, he also spoke with the district police officer, who had pledged to aid in the prompt recovery of his missing kid. He claimed that the Khyber police were becoming into a well-organized kidnapping ring. He pleaded with the inspector general of police to look into the matter and assist in getting his son back from the cops.
In response to Attaullah Afridi’s charges, police spokesperson Zaheer Khan stated that neither the police nor the boy’s parents had filed a formal complaint over the kidnapping.
He informed Dawn that Khubaan might have been arrested for his claimed involvement in any criminal case by other law enforcement forces functioning in Khyber. He suggested that rather than bringing up the matter in the media, the father of the missing youngster should speak with the appropriate venue.
Meanwhile, Jamrud scrap traders have demanded the immediate reopening of all of their closed stores in protest of the crackdown on their businesses.
Scrap dealer Samar Gul said to media in Jamrud that two months ago, authorities violently closed their stores without giving any warning because they were suspected of conducting illicit business.
He claimed that their meager earnings came from dealing primarily in secondhand iron and steel goods. He claimed that up until now, all of their appeals regarding their financial hardships and innocence had been ignored.
Mr. Gul made demands of the district administration and DPO, asking them to investigate the situation and order the opening of their establishments.
