Two kidnapped girls were recovered in a covert operation in Multan, Lahore and Rawalpindi on Wednesday.
The operation was led by the Multan CIA.
Police said 18-year-old Saima, a resident of Mukhtar Town, had developed a Facebook friendship with 28-year-old Jamal, who planned the kidnapping on learning that her family was wealthy. Jamal asked his younger brother, Bilal, to add Saima’s friend Sana on Facebook as well.
They invited Saima and Sana to meet them at a private residence and took them to a village near Multan, Lahore and then Rawalpindi. Police said Jamal and Bilal had demanded four million rupees as ransom for both the girls.
Police said the criminals planned to sell the girls if their families did not meet their demand.
CIA officials said the girls were recovered in from a Rawalpindi. Police also arrested the kidnappers and their accomplices.
*Names have been changed to protect identity
Published in The Express Tribune, January 9th, 2014.