The Brigade police have claimed arrest of suspects belonging to the excise department for their alleged involvement in short-term kidnappings for ransom.
The arrested men included a serving inspector of the excise department and seven other excise personnel.
According to a spokesperson for the East SSP, the arrested suspects were identified as Inspector Hamid, Irfan, Shahzaib, Shehryar, Aamir, Afaq, Jamshed and Zain, alias Dogar.
Police said the gang had been involved in trapping innocent citizens through planned schemes, abducting them and later releasing them after collecting hefty ransom amounts.
Investigators revealed that the suspects also used a woman to lure victims. In one such incident, a citizen identified as Kashan was allegedly contacted by a woman and trapped by the gang before being abducted.
During the kidnapping, the suspects reportedly drove him around different parts of the city and extorted Rs150,000 before releasing him.
Police said the arrests were made after laying a trap following a complaint lodged by Kashan. According to police, the suspects used police uniforms during their operations to intimidate victims.
During the raid, four suspects, including the excise inspector, were allegedly wearing uniforms. Police also recovered four pistols with ammunition, a vehicle and other items from the possession of the accused. Officials said the gang had allegedly kidnapped and extorted ransom from several citizens in the past. Cases have been registered against the suspects under relevant laws.
