Ex-Karachi traffic chief Pir Muhammad Shah faces kidnapping allegations

• Singh IG seeks explanation from Pir M Shah over alleged kidnapping.
• Hyderabad police personnel kidnapped businessman from Karachi.
• Demanded Rs300m; released him after receiving Rs1m in ransom.

Karachi's former traffic chief Pir Muhammad is facing a probe involving allegations of using influence for the kidnapping of a businessman, investigation officials said on Monday.

Sindh IG Jawed Akhtar Odho, they added, had sought an explanation from Shah in a case pertaining to the kidnapping of a businessman.

Officials say that a case was registered on December 19, 2025, by Shah against the businessman for the return of an amount exceeding Rs310 million.

The Hyderabad Police, noted the investigation officials, reached Karachi on the evening of January 14, 2026, and took the businessman, named in the FIR, with them.

The businessman was later released following the intervention of traders.

Later, a case was registered against Shah at the Gizri Police Station on January 22 by the businessman concerned.

In the FIR, the complainant said that he had left for his office from his residence in DHA Phase VI when three individuals, riding in a white car, stopped him and attempted to take him away with them.

Nothing that two of the suspects were wearing outfits similar to a police uniform, the complainant said that they sought over Rs310 million from him and even rang up his home demanding Rs300 million in ransom.

The suspects, he adds, released him on the same day at the highway at nearly 11:30pm after receiving Rs1 million.

Expanding on the matter, Hyderabad's Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) said that three police personnel involved in the said incident have been suspended.

The suspended personnel include one ASI and two constables, he added.

Shah's removal

Shah, last month, was removed from the office of Karachi Traffic DIG and was replaced by Mazhar Nawaz Sheikh.

The notification, dated January 29, 2026, reads that Mazhar Nawaz Sheikh, who was serving as deputy IGP at the Central Police Office (CPO) Headquarters, has been appointed as the new DIG Traffic Karachi.

“Mazhar Nawaz Shaikh, an Officer of Police Service of Pakistan (BS-20), Deputy Inspector General of Police, Headquarters, Central Police Office (CPO), Sindh, Karachi, is transferred and posted with immediate effect and until further orders as Deputy Inspector General of Police (BS-20), Traffic, Karachi vice Syed Pir Muhammad Shah transferred and directed to report to the Services, General Administration & Coordination Department,” the notification stated.

Sources, back then, had linked his removal to traffic mismanagement during the Gul Plaza fire incident, when congestion in and around the area reportedly hampered the movement of fire brigade and rescue vehicles.

The deadly fire at Gul Plaza, which occurred this month, claimed at least 80 lives, prompting criticism over emergency response and traffic control at the site.

The police officer had earlier risen to prominence following the launch of the e-challan system, aimed at improving traffic discipline.

The Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS) was launched on October 27, aimed at replacing the outdated manual ticketing process with a fully automated e-ticketing mechanism, utilising advanced AI-integrated CCTV cameras to detect violations such as over-speeding, red light jumping, and helmet non-compliance.

But since its inauguration, the new system has sparked debate with critics pointing to the lack of adequate facilities and infrastructure in Karachi to support its implementation.