LAHORE: Police rescued a three-year-old girl, who was kidnapped from the National Park on Monday.

Laiba, the daughter of Waseem Khan, went missing from the park near Liberty Market on Sunday where the family had come for picnic.

The family alerted the Gulberg police at 6pm.

A police team, led by Assistant Sub-Inspector Shahbaz, deployed for the security of a Mehfil-e-Milad on Walton Road, was engaged in a random stop-and-frisk exercise of vehicles late on Sunday. The team stopped a rickshaw for checking and found the minor girl crying helplessly on the passenger seat. When the police asked about the minor girl, the driver, who was also under the influence, could not satisfy them.

ASI Shahbaz said the demeanor of the driver alerted them and they informed the station house officer about the situation. Soon, it emerged the driver, identified as Ehsan, had kidnapped the girl from the park.

The police seized the girl and later handed her over to the family.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif praised the police performance and presented them commendatory certificates and cash prizes.

During a meeting with the girl and her parents, the chief minister said the police had displayed a spirit of dutifulness by recovering the girl through timely action. Mr Sharif announced commendatory certificates for the DSP and the SHO of Gulberg while Rs50,000 for ASI Shahbaz and Rs25,000 for the constables.

Waseem, father of the girl, said police had extended full cooperation with regard to recovery of the child.

Found shot dead: A teenaged girl was found shot dead in her father’s bedroom in Manga Mandi on Monday.

Police said 15-year-old Lubna, daughter of Ishtiaq, was found shot dead by the family.

Quoting her father, police said after hearing a gunshot, they rushed to the spot and found the girl in a pool of blood.

According to police, victim’s father said in a statement that his daughter might have committed suicide or she accidentally pressed the trigger of the pistol.

Police took the body in custody and shifted it to Jinnah Hospital morgue for an autopsy.

A police officer said that initial inquiries and circumstantial evidence suggested that the pistol went off accidentally.

He said the police were investigating the incident on different angles.

Published in Dawn March 24th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play