KARACHI: Incidents of abduction on the rise in Site
KARACHI, April 29: The fourth child abducted during the last three months from Metroville and Frontier Colony areas of Site Town have been released from the clutches of the kidnappers on the payment of ransom.
The kidnapped boy returned last week when his father paid around one million in ransom to the unknown culprits based in Malakand Agency. Due to these incidents these Site Town localities are in a grip of fear as the kidnappers are still at large.
According to details, Qasim,4, son of Hashim Khan was kidnapped from Frontier Colony on 12 April. An FIR was lodged at the Pirabad Police Station. Police, however, failed to recover him. .
According to the child’s father, he was asked by the kidnappers to come to Peshawar. On reaching there, they directed him to board a bus for Mardan.
'When I reached Mardan, they directed me over the cellphone to come to Malakand Agency (FATA). Later they kept directing me into certain streets and villages and lastly I got my child back from a lady, who was representing kidnappers, in return of the money.'
Hashim's neighbors however do not believe that the child was taken to Malakand Agency at all. Instead they said that the kidnappers were locals who directed him to create such a story for his own security.
Police sources, however, have confirmed that such a group based in the NWFP was behind all these abductions.
Keeping in view these incidents, area people have taken special security measures for their loved ones. Most children are seen going to schools and seminaries along with their parents or any elder of the family. Besides, playgrounds and streets are wearing a deserted look these days.
According to UC Nazim Abdul Razzaq, the law enforcement agencies have repeatedly failed in all the four incidents.
He said that the affected parents were not wealthy people and had to sell their houses and other belongings for the recovery of their children. They must be paid back by the government, as it was due to the failure of law enforcement agencies, he added. He said that parents had provided contact numbers and addresses of kidnappers to the police and sent letters to the Sindh governor and the chief minister.
Recently we had a meeting with Sindh Home Adviser Waseem Akhtar, Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) and the Anti- Violence and Crime Cell (AVCC) officials in this regard, the UC nazim informed.
According to DIG AVCC Khurram, raids were conducted with assistance of political agents in Malakand and special security arrangements were ensured in Karachi to capture the kidnapers.—PPI
