General Muhammad Zahir Zahir, the Kabul Police Chief, on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of Habib Estalif, the leader of a kidnapping gang from the 10th District of Kabul who had been the city's most wanted criminal for a number of years.
According to Zahir, Estalif and his band of outlaws were responsible for a variety of crimes, including kidnapping, arms smuggling and murder.
The Kabul Police had been in pursuit of Estalif for years after he escaped from prison before finally capturing him last week. Estalif has already resorted to offering a three million dollar bribe to be released and threatening police and jail officials with violent consequences if he is not freed.
"He also tried to commit suicide in jail, but the security forces prevented the attempt and we changed his cell," Zahir said.
The Kabul Police Chief urged the judiciary not to sideline the sacrifices made by police officers in arresting Estalif in their investigation and judgment of the ringleader.
"We have relocated families of the police officers who contributed to his arrest because they were under serious security threat," Zahir added. "We even advised their children not to go to school to avoid danger."
Mir Dad Khan Nejrabi, the head of the Parliament's Commission for Internal Security, urged judicial officials to do right by the case and make sure Estalif is held responsible.
"We are really distressed over the existence of corruption in the legal and judicial organs," said Nejrabi. "Corruption allows criminals to be released from jail in exchange for money."
Nejrabi also criticized officials for not stopping Estalif sooner, and said that due to his gang's criminal activities several prominent businessmen and investors had fled Afghanistan.