LAHORE: A group of kidnappers attempted to kidnap a serving officer of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Johar Town here on Saturday.
Mian Saqib, an Assistant Director of FIA’s Cyber Crime Wing, was on his way to drop his children off to school when his car was intercepted by a three-member gang on Canal road.
The kidnappers tried to abduct Saqib and shift him into their car but they failed since the car’s door was locked. Saqib’s window, however, was rolled down and allowed the kidnappers to reach out for his car keys and try to drag him out of the window.
At this point, Saqib started honking his car’s horn which attracted the attention of passersby, who then surrounded the vehicle while the abductors managed to escape.
After the incident, Saqib lodged a First Information Report (FIR) at Johar Town police station. Police lodged the FIR under Section 506 of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 which pertains to cases of threats and does not deal with ‘kidnappings’.
“Mian Saqib was on his way to school to drop his children when kidnappers attacked him,” said an FIA officer seeking anonymity.
“He approached the police but the police did not register an FIR under kidnapping charges despite him having clearly told them about the incident,” he added.
The FIR stated that the persons who intercepted Saqib’s vehicle seemed to be of Afghan origin and that their vehicle was registered under a Sindh number plate: AFV-409. The FIR also said that the abductors, on their failure to kidnap Saqib, hurled threats and abuses at him.
“The kidnappers suddenly appeared in front of my car when I was at the corner of Doctor’s Hospital,” said Mian Saqib, adding, “One of the kidnappers approached my car and started pulling my car door – which was locked – and then tried to get hold of my car keys through the open window.”
He said, “I put my hand on the horn to attract attention after which the kidnappers dispersed and then got in their car and drove off to the other side of the Campus Bridge.”
Incidents of kidnapping of women and children are on the rise in the city as police has proven unable to take on kidnapping gangs.
This latest incident involving FIA officer Mian Saqib speaks volumes of the police’s inability to curb crime.
When contacted, an investigation officer of Johar Town police station said that they had been looking into the case and were tracing the vehicle used in this incident.
“It is unclear what the motive behind this incident was; it is possible that the suspects were unaware of who they were attempting to abduct but it can also be that the suspects had personal motivations to abduct Mian Saqib,” said the police official.