Gulbahar police operation leads to the safe recovery of 4 hostages, including 3 Nigerian nationals; the suspects had demanded a ransom of $25,000.

Peshawar (Khalid Khan) – The Gulbahar police, acting on special instructions from senior officials, arrested a three-member gang that had kidnapped 4 individuals, including foreign nationals, and held them captive in a house. The police successfully rescued all the hostages.

Under the supervision of SP Faqirabad Division Ali Hamza Butt, DSP Gulbahar Circle Inamullah and SHO Gulbahar Police Station Asghar Ali, along with lady police and other personnel, conducted an operation based on a tip-off, raiding a house in Gulbahar Number 2, where they rescued 3 Nigerian nationals and a resident of Khyber District.

The rescued Nigerian nationals were identified as Aston son of Nwan Kwab, Michael son of Aston, and Jantan son of Aston, while the resident of Khyber District was identified as Nasrat Khan son of Arbab.

During the operation, the police also arrested three kidnappers, identified as Asif Mahmood son of Abbas, a resident of Shaheen Bazaar, Umar Farooq, and Usman Ghani, sons of Atiq Ahmed, residents of Gulbahar.

According to the police, the arrested suspects had brought the hostages from Lahore under the pretense of inviting them for a meal and had illegally confined them on the ground floor of a house in Gulbahar Number 2. The suspects were demanding a ransom of $25,000 from the hostages’ relatives, and it was alleged that the hostages were subjected to torture when the payment was refused.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the gang, consisting of the arrested suspects, is also involved in the international drug trade, including ice and other narcotics, with further investigations ongoing.

The police recovered an AK-47, two pistols, and several cartridges from the possession of the arrested suspects. A case has been registered against the suspects, and further investigations have commenced, while inquiries into other potential accomplices and individuals involved in the crimes are also ongoing.