KARACHI, April 3: The eight-year-old daughter of a city businessman was dramatically kidnapped and clandestinely flown to Dubai.

Anum, daughter of Dawood Soomro, was kidnapped by five persons from her school van (CB-0432) in DHA Phase-IV on Thursday when she was on her way back home.

Police said the van, carrying four children was intercepted by a Suzuki Khyber, and four of the armed men came out of it and forced all the children into the car driven by a woman.

They dropped three of the children at their Beach View School before the woman drove away with Anum.

Police claimed that the armed men first boarded the school van and administered a sedative to its driver, Sher Afzal.

The van was later recovered from Aisha Manzil. The driver went to the Gizri police station, and lodged an FIR against the unknown kidnappers.

Family members alleged that the girl might have been kidnapped by her mother, a US national whom Mr Soomro has divorced.