PESHAWAR: Police defused an improvised explosive device planted along a house on Saturday, while armed men kidnapped a property dealer here the other day.

An official of the city circle said that unknown persons had planted an IED along the house of one Iftikhar at Ziarat Korona area, but police timely foiled the attempt.

`We immediately called the personnel of Bomb DisposalUnit who defused the bomb, said the official and added that it weighed about one and a half kilogram.

Meanwhile, Ijaz Ahmed Khalil of Swato Phattak told a news press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Saturday that his brother, Shafiq, was abducted from Hayatabad by a group of kidnappers belonging to Khyber Agency. He said that the kidnappers had demanded Rs5 million ransom for his release.

Mr Khalil alleged that he visited the Hayatabad police station and the relevant police post for registration of case against the culprits, but the police refused to do so as the kidnappers were influential persons.

He said the kidnappers were led by Raza Shah, Rafiq Khalil, Haidr Ali and Waheed Shah of Shahi Bala, Peshawar. Khalil demanded of the police high ups to help recover his kidnapped brother.

LAND GRABBING: A deputy superintendent of police has been accused of supporting land grabbers and forcing the land owners to sell their valuable properties at throwawayprices.

Speaking at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Saturday, Fida Mohammad Khan of Regi village said that an influential group of land grabbers was active in the suburbs of Peshawar in connivance with DSP Shah Nawaz.`The land grabbers led by former nazims Khalid and Shahid are involved in killing of my brother, Noor Habib and implicating another brother, Haji Sultan Mohammad, in fake cases in order to force us to sell our valuable land to them at throwaway rates,` he alleged.

He alleged that DSP Shah Nawaz was supporting the land grabbers and conducting raids at tier houses without producing any search warrants.

FAKE CURRENCY SEIZED: A money changer was arrested with 120,000 fake US dollars during a raid at Deans Trade Centre here on Saturday. According to police, the raid was conducted by an FIA team which also arrested the currency dealer, Naseeb Khan. He was charged under sections 489-B and 489-C of PPC.