LAHORE: Police on Wednesday busted a group of “extortionists” and arrested three people who had been “blackmailing” and hurling death threats at some traders to extort money and seized sophisticated weapons from their possession.

City Division Superintendent of Police Hafeez-ur-Rehman Bugti while addressing a press conference at his office praised the performance of a Shafiqabad police team for ensuring prompt arrests of the suspects identified as Shahid Prince, Fayyaz and Abdul Rehman. He said that police recovered automatic rifles from their possession.

According to Bugti, the group was being operated from Turkey by its ringleader Imran Nazir. He said the held suspects used to demand extortion money from targeted persons by using different SIM cards/numbers. He said that during the interrogation, it emerged that a bother of a trader, Ejaz, who approached the police after some extortionists shot and injured him in public, was allegedly involved and a part of the group. Sharing further details, the SP said that the suspects had demanded Rs 5 million from a citizen, Muhammad Umair, as extortion money and also fired multiple gunshots at his residence’s main gate in Shafiqabad. Similarly, the suspects also demanded extortion money of Rs 2 million from one Bilal Anjum in Nawab Town police precincts and hurled death threats at him, he added.

Meanwhile, the Sherakot police claimed to have arrested a man who stole money from a donation box of a mosque here on Wednesday.

According to a police spokesperson, the alleged thief, Tehzeeb Riaz, was first caught by area residents, who gave him a good thrash, and then handed over to police who reach there while responding to an emergency call on 15. He said that police during the interrogation have successfully recovered “stolen amount” of Rs 24,230 and sent him behind bars after registration of an FIR against him.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021