Pakistan journalist arrested for staging own kidnapping

Karachi: A Pakistani journalist has been arrested for staging his own kidnapping in the country's Sindh province to acquire property, police said on Sunday.

Senior journalist Fayyaz Solangi was arrested along with his uncle and dreaded dacoit Mazhar Solangi, in connivance with whom he had faked the kidnapping, senior police officials told the media in the Khairpur city of the province.

The racket was exposed after a comprehensive investigation by the police.

“The reputation of the police was at stake when news of a journalist’s kidnapping from Khairpur was reported last week and led to protests and sit-ins. A thorough investigation was carried out, and it revealed the real story,” said SSP Khairpur Tauhid Memon.

Memon said that the kidnapping was staged to get the police to arrest Fayyaz's cousins, with whom he had a property dispute.

Fayyaz contacted Mazhar, and together the two faked the kidnapping.

“Fayyaz even sent videos of his being tortured by the dacoits to the media and posted on social media to increase pressure on the police to arrest his cousins who were named in the FIR by his uncle,” Memon said.

“We conducted raids in Kashmore and arrested the journalist and Mazhar Solangi from their hideout,” the police official said.

He said due to the incident, police had even arrested the journalist’s cousins.