RAWALPINDI: A four-year-old boy who had been kidnapped for a ransom of Rs100 million was recovered by the police on Monday and reunited with his parents after a 65-day ordeal.

The kidnappers had reportedly taken the boy to Afghanistan and demanded that police release some members of their family in police custody, in exchange for the child’s release.

City Police Officer Israr Ahmed Abbasi told Dawn the boy was in Afghanistan and had been recovered. He said that no ransom was paid to the kidnappers and no accused had to be released by the police.

No further information was shared by the officer who said that the boy and his parents were on their way to Rawalpindi on Monday night, accompanied by a police party, led by Inspector Nadeem Zafar of Banni police.

He did reveal that Afghan law enforcement agencies helped the Pakistani police in recovering the boy and arresting the kidnappers.

“We also used informal channels to ensure the boy’s return,” he said.

Four-year-old Hashir Jawad was abducted on May 2, 2015 from his home in Asghar Mall, when five men broke into the house, held the family members hostage and took the boy with them. Later, the kidnappers contacted the family and demanded a ransom of Rs100 million.

The local police arrested three people, including a woman, from Rawalpindi for their involvement in the kidnapping. The police claimed that the gang involved did not have links with Taliban or other militant groups and were operating on their own. — Staff Reporter

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2015

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