ISLAMABAD: At least 10 people were robbed by unidentified armed men on trail 7 in Islamabad.
According to police, the armed men also kidnapped a young man from the group for ransom, but he was rescued later. According to the police, the victims had gone for Iftar and hiking on trail 7 on March 9.
The Golra Sharif police have registered an FIR on a complaint of Abdul Muqeet.
According to Abdul Muqeet, “A group of 10 friends had gone for hiking and Iftar on trail 7 and at 6:40pm, as they were heading back, armed robbers intercepted them, snatched their expensive mobile phones and cash. They also kidnapped one of their friends anmed Umar Tariq, for ransom, and demanded Rs100,000 for his release, warning to arrange the money or they would kill him.”
The complainant said in the FIR that “The suspects were speaking Punjabi and Urdu, and they can identify him if they see them again.
Islamabad’s hiking trails are popular among both locals and foreigners including embassy officials.
Speaking to Independent Urdu, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abdul Qayyum said, “As soon as the men called on 15, the police immediately reached the scene. The sound of police sirens forced the robbers to abandon the kidnapped individual and flee. The police safely brought him back down. Since it is a mountainous area, the robbers managed to escape, but we are tracking them.”
He further said, “The area where the hikers ventured falls near the Taxila boundary, where a village is located. Previously, mobile snatching incidents have been reported there. To counter such crimes, we have even set up a room on the hilltop to station a team for surveillance. However, since this incident occurred at night, tourists must also remain cautious.”
Also read: Missing young boy found dead at Islamabad’s Trail 5
The police officers said: “We are increasing patrols in these isolated areas to prevent such incidents.”
This is not the first incident of its kind on trail 7. Cases of theft and robbery have been reported there in the past as well.
Since its inception, trail 7’s isolated location has made it a hotspot for theft, with multiple incidents of motorcycle theft reported from its parking area.
A year ago, armed robbers also targeted foreign tourists on trail 7, holding them hostage for four hours. During the ordeal, one of the robbers even took a tourist to an ATM booth and forced him to withdraw cash.
Following that incident, a special police squad was formed to secure the hiking trails. Equipped with motorcycles and horses, the squad was stationed in the parking areas and frequently patrolled the trails.
However, hiking enthusiast Muhammad Imran told Independent Urdu, “We often see police presence on trail 3 and trail 5, but they rarely appear on trail 7. Despite the formation of a special squad, trail 7 remains unsafe. These incidents, especially during Ramadan, have become common. People should now take precautions themselves — if they know a place is unsafe, they should avoid going there.”
On the other hand, Misbah, a member of the Islamabad Trail Community, said, “Avoiding the trail is not the solution. Should we leave the trail open for robbers to do as they please? The real solution is for the police to ensure the safety of hikers on Margalla trails. We can protect ourselves from animals, but it’s the police’s responsibility to protect us from criminals.”
Last year, a mobile-snatching incident was also reported on trail 3 during the evening hours, but the stolen phone was quickly recovered.