KARACHI, April 30: Police on Sunday arrested a young man for his suspected involvement in the kidnapping of an infant girl for ransom and killing her despite receiving ransom money.
The 2˝-year-old girl, Laiba, kidnapped three days back, had been found shortly after the ransom amount was paid to her captors. Police said Laiba, daughter of Rehmatullah, a transporter, had been kidnapped near her house in North Nazimabad, Block L, on April 27.
Around midnight, the family received a telephone call demanding Rs1,500,000 in ransom. Following the ransom call, the family had lodged an FIR at the Taimuria police station fearing Laiba’s killing. Police and representatives of the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee intervened into the negotiation with the kidnaper and a deal was struck at Rs300,000.
On Saturday, a place was decided between the kidnappers and the family for the payment of ransom in F.B. Area where the girl was supposed to be handed over to the family.
The family gave the ransom amount to the kidnapper following which the family was informed about the location of the girl.
The family spotted the structure at the ground in Block 12, F.B. Area, and as they went inside a small room, they found a day-old body of Laiba. The trussed up body of the girl had turned stiff, police said.
Police said the incident attracted a crowd. A man suddenly ran off from the crowd. He was caught by the furious family members who suspected him to be among the kidnappers. He was identified as Rehmatullah Baloch, the namesake of the girl's father, police said. CPLC Chief Sharfuddin Memon told Dawn that in such type of kidnappings close relative or acquaintances are usually involved.
However, he said that in this case the CPLC assisted the family in striking the ransom deal. But the kidnappers used some other girl whose crying voice was heard by the family on the telephone and without intimating the CPLC went ahead with the payment of ransom amount, Mr Memon added.
SP AVCC Farooq Awan told Dawn that the man caught at the spot was not involved in the case. The police investigated the case and picked up some people on suspicion. "We have reached the real culprit. He has been identified as Asad, first cousin of the girl's father. Asad lives just opposite the girl's house."
He said that Asad, 19, hailing from Wana in South Waziristan, was a class IX student and good at cricket. The suspect told the police that he wanted money for a new mobile phone and other needs. SP Awan said that Asad kidnapped the girl, took her to his house, strangled her with a necktie and stuffed her body into his cricket kit-bag. He threw the body into a small room of the ground, where he played cricket. He used the mobile phone connection, which was not in his name, and later threw away the SIM. Asad contacted the family after he had killed the girl. On the insistence of the family, he took another girl of the neighbourhood, and the family assumed she was their daughter.
