Foreign national robbed, held captive in Pakistan for 6 hours
Apr 08, 2024
Islamabad [Pakistan], April 8 : A foreign national along with her five Pakistani associates were robbed and held captive for six hours and were forced to withdraw more cash from an automated teller machine (ATM), Dawn reported.
According to Dawn, the six people, including the woman from the Swiss embassy, were passing through a hilly area when they were stopped by robbers who snatched their mobile phones and watches.
"A foreign woman and her five Pakistani associates had parked vehicles near Shah Allah Ditta in the limits of Golra police station and started biking towards a stupa located in the limits of Taxila," as per police sources cited by the news daily.
"Later, they detained four persons, including the women, and allowed two persons to go and bring some money by withdrawing it from ATMs, warning them that their associates would be killed if they informed the police," the sources were cited as saying.
"Two persons went and withdrew Pakistani currency (PKR) 120,000 and handed the amount to the robbers, after which the hostages were released," they said, as per Dawn.
According to a police official at Golra police station, the tourists were detained near a stupa located in Taxila, but their vehicles were parked within the limits of Golra police station, therefore, the relevant police station was investigating the issue.
Recently, a case was reported in Lahore's Shahdara town on Saturday in which two people, including an 18-year-old girl, were killed during an attempted robbery, according to ARY News.
Of the two deceased persons, one was a shopkeeper named Shehroz Butt.
Robbery attempts and killings have been frequently reported in the country as the law and order of the country continue to deteriorate.
In a similar incident last month, a woman was killed in a shootout between police and robbers in Karachi's Orangi Town, ARY News reported.
According to a statement by the police, on March 26, two salesmen were being looted by armed thieves close to Qatar Hospital in the Orangi Town region. Reports of the robbery, which resulted in a gunfight, led the police to the scene.
