Karachi travel agent hides in mosque, fakes kidnapping to extort Rs1.5m from family

The police have arrested a man in Karachi's Manghopir area for allegedly staging his own kidnapping and demanding Rs1.5 million in ransom from his family.

According to the police, the suspect, identified as Inamul Hasan, was arrested during a joint operation by the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) and the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC).

During interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed that he had been hiding inside a mosque for several days. He sent photographs of himself with his hands and feet tied to his family to make the kidnapping appear genuine before demanding ransom for his release.

The police said they recovered the mobile phone allegedly used to contact the family and make the ransom demand.

They added that the suspect worked for a travel agency and was burdened with debts amounting to hundreds of thousands of rupees, prompting him to stage the fake kidnapping.