RAWALPINDI: A 10-year-old girl went missing after leaving home for a nearby grocery store on Saturday evening, her father said.

She was last seen at her house at about 5.30pm on Saturday a few moments before her father went to meet a relative.

The girl is a student of 5th class at the F.G. Girls’ School Westridge but had not gone to the school after the winter vacations.

Khuram Shahzad, a resident of in Chur Harpal (Westridge), told Dawn that his daughter went to a nearby shop to buy sweets but did not return.

He said he along with his neighbours and relatives launched a door-to-door search in the neighbourhood but got no clue to her.

“Since her mother was in Karachi, my daughter did not inform any elder of the house before leaving for the shop,” he said.

“In addition to searching in the area, I also went to each shop to get any information about my daughter but the shopkeepers said they had not seen her since morning.”

When asked whether any outsider had visited his house in his absence, he ruled out the possibility.

“Nobody visited my house during that time. I believe she went missing from outside the house.”

The father of the girl said he had not received any ransom call from any person.

He said after efforts by him and the family members failed to trace his daughter, he made announcements from mosques and later sought the police help.

“Police have been cooperating with me. In addition to the SHO, the police investigating officer visited my house at midnight and also investigated some individuals,” said Mr Shahzad, who served as the administrator of a private school.

When contacted, SHO Chaudhry Jameel told Dawn that police were searching for the missing girl.

“I hope the girl would be traced soon as she was carrying a mobile phone and we would get the call data on Monday to trace her,” he said.

City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Israr Ahmed Khan Abbasi recently said 21 cases were reported to the police in 2016 in which 26 children were kidnapped. He said 20 of the kidnap victims had been recovered.

Published in Dawn, January 9th, 2017