Police in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi say masked men have kidnapped the adult son of a high-ranking provincial judge.
Authorities say they think Awais Ali Shah, the son of Sindh High Court Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, was abducted in order to be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations to free imprisoned Islamic militants.
Witnesses told police that Shah, a lawyer, put up a fight before he was overpowered by kidnappers outside a supermarket on June 20 and thrown into a white getaway car.
Kidnapping by criminal gangs and militants is common in Pakistan.
Karachi, a sprawling metropolis with more than 20 million residents, is plagued by political, ethnic, and religious violence.