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The alleged kidnapping of journalist Fayyaz Solangi from Sindh’s Khairpur district, which caused concern ten days ago, has been revealed as a hoax, police confirmed on Sunday.
A video posted on Solangi’s Facebook account, showing him chained and pleading for release, had led many to believe he was abducted by dacoits demanding a ransom of Rs10 million.
In a joint press conference, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Khairpur Tawheed Memon and SSP Kashmore Zubair Nazir Shaikh explained that the police had recovered the journalist following an operation in the Kashmore area.
SSP Memon clarified that Fayyaz Solangi had fabricated the abduction story in order to frame his cousins, with whom he had a land dispute. “The journalist staged the entire incident to create a false case against his cousins,” he said.
Authorities also arrested Solangi’s uncle, Mazhar Solangi, in Khairpur, identifying him as the main instigator behind the fake kidnapping.
The situation initially sparked outrage after a video surfaced on Friday showing Solangi being tortured by a masked, armed individual, igniting protests across several towns in Sindh’s upper region.
Solangi’s colleague, Ghulam Hussain Chang, stated at Hingorja Press Club that the journalist had gone missing on January 12, with his motorcycle found abandoned along a link road at around 7:00 pm. Despite efforts by police and journalists to locate him, Solangi remained unaccounted for until the video surfaced. Solangi’s uncle later claimed that the kidnappers had demanded a Rs10 million ransom.
