In another tragic incident, a toddler had been kidnapped from Rawalpindi last week.

It highlighted the fact that the kidnappers patiently plan their heinous crime. And it also highlighted the traditional laidback attitude of police in probing these heart-rending incidents.

The eight-month old Fahad Butt was separated from his parents by a woman who posed as a nurse. She had told the residents of the street where Fahad lived that recently transferred from Karachi and working in a Rawalpindi hospital, she was looking for a house on rent.

The woman took away Fahad from outside his house in the Waris Khan police area last Sunday. She had been visiting the street for the last couple of days and had developed friendship with some of the women living there.

Since his kidnapping, the parents of Fahad have been spending sleepless nights. “Locally and with the help of police we are trying to find a clue to the woman,” said Aftaf Kaleem, father of Fahad.

He recalled that he was at workplace last Sunday when he received a call from his wife saying little Fahad had been abducted by the woman. He rushed home and started a search and finally sought police help.

A girl living in the neighbourhood was carrying Fahad outside his home in the street when the woman appeared. She gave the girl few rupees to buy sweets.

Oblivious to the woman's motive, the girl handed over Fahad to her and went to buy sweets. As she returned after buying sweets, the woman and Fahad were missing.

According to Aftab, the woman had been planning the kidnapping, adding she mostly visited the locality in the afternoon when most of the male members are away at their work. Her behaviour gave no clue that she was planning a heinous crime, he said.

But the parents' agony has been increased by the fact that police have launched a half-hearted hunt for the woman. Despite wide publicity and family's public pleas, the police have only reached “dead ends” in their probe.

On his own the desperate father is searching for the lost son. He has been visiting the hotels and inns and on Thursday night visited the wards of Benazir Bhutto Hospital.

He has been searching on his own as the woman who kidnapped his son has been “seen” in various parts of the city. The day after the kidnapping, according to some residents, the woman was seen on Rawal Road. On Thursday, according to Aftab, a woman with “same description” carrying a boy had been seen roam in Mohalla Mehmood Ali Shah.

As the agony of Fahad's parents continues, on Thursday night an attempt of kidnapping an eleven-month-old boy was foiled at the Holy Family Hospital (HFH). The alleged kidnapper was arrested by the police. According to the father of Talah Khan, a man was trying to take away his son from the hospital and they nabbed him just in time.