ISLAMABAD (AP) — Police say a British man of Pakistani origin was shot dead after arriving in Pakistan to testify against people suspected of kidnapping him last year.

Malik Muhammad Iqbal, 55, was killed Friday by masked men in the city of Rawalpindi near Islamabad. Authorities are investigating a potential link to Iqbal's 20-day kidnapping ordeal, which ended in him paying ransom.

Police officer Mohammad Usman said Sunday that two women held in connection with the abduction had their bail pleas rejected the same day he was killed.

Iqbal's nephew, Mohammad Ashfaq, says his uncle came from Bradford, England, to testify despite being threatened.

Ashfaq said Iqbal's body will be returned to Britain, where friends have expressed shock at the case.

Kidnapping for ransom is an increasingly common crime in Pakistan.