LAHORE: At least 25 suspected kidnappers, including women, were thrashed by mobs in different areas of the city during the last one month as reports of abduction of children continue to make headlines.

As many as 268 children went missing from the provincial capital in the last seven-and-half months while 241 FIRs were lodged with different police stations. Of them, 189 children returned to their homes, 47 were recovered by police and 32 were still missing.

Police investigators claimed that most of the children left their homes on their own and no-one had abducted them. Police officials said they contacted some of the ‘still missing’ children who were reluctant to return homes and were living with their relatives.

A woman was nabbed on Friday, tortured and severely injured by a mob in Township over suspicion of kidnapping children.

Green Town SHO Asif Ali said that Salma alias Sheerin of Sherakot along with her three accomplices entered a house early in the morning in Township area with the intention of theft.

The family woke up and saw the woman fleeing. They chased and caught the woman, alerting the people that they had captured a child kidnapper. “Within no time, the residents and shopkeepers gathered there and started thrashing the woman,” the SHO said.

He said police reached the spot and took the alleged woman kidnapper into custody after they received a call on police helpline that the mob was subjecting a woman to torture. “Since the woman was bleeding profusely she was taken to a hospital”.

He said the woman told the mob that she and her three other women accomplices were not kidnappers and had entered the house for theft.

The SHO said a case of child kidnapping or theft would be registered after the interrogation of the woman.

He said initial investigation showed that the woman and her accomplices were absconders in theft cases registered against them in Sabzazar and Samanabad police stations.

“A case will be registered against the residents who took law into their hand after they badly injured the woman,” the SHO said.

Eyewitness Faisal said he saw that some people were chasing a woman who was finally captured.

He said a middle aged man told him that the woman was a kidnapper and had tried to abduct the children of his neighbours.

He said law enforcement agencies failed to check the growing child kidnapping cases in the city. “I am also worried about my children and do not let them go out of the house. I am also concerned whether or not to send my children to school after summer vacation,” he said.

This is not the first incident in which the mob took law into its hands and severely injured the suspect on mere suspicion of kidnapping children. Personal grudges and old scores were also settled in some cases.

In few cases, close family members, even parents of the children, were thrashed on mere suspicion by the mob.

On Aug 3, a girl of Kot Lakhpat had contracted court marriage. Her husband took her to the house of his relatives in Liaquatabad. On getting wind of girl’s presence, her parents reached there and negotiated for letting the girl with them.

Both parties stuck to their stances and finally started thrashing each other. The boy’s relatives called their neighbours and raised an alarm that they had been attacked by a gang of child kidnappers. Then not only the neighbours but also the area residents gathered there in no time and gave sound thrashing to the girl’s family and also torched their vehicle.

In Baghbanpura, a mob tortured a man who had come to hand over a charger to his (girl) friend while another mob beat up a man who was taking his infant son for vaccination.

At least 21 more people were injured by different mobs in the city in similar incidents during a month or so.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif issued directives for making children recovered in kidnapping cases should undergo polygraph tests as police reports claimed that most of the children left their homes on their own.

Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) has launched a web portal to help find parents or guardians of the missing children.

The facility has been introduced in collaboration with the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) and the Punjab police.

DIG (Operations) Dr Haider Ashraf said they were arranging meetings on the divisional level with notables, including MNAs, MPAs and local body representatives of all union councils, to undo a sense of fear among the masses over the issue.

He said cases were registered against all those who were involved in thrashing and injuring the people on mere suspicion. “All notables and prayer leaders have been directed to report to police if they witness any suspicious elements as no-one will be allowed to take law into one’s hands.”

The DIG said some miscreants were involved in politicizing the issue and creating hype.

He said the media was also being conveyed that no child kidnapper gang or group was operating in the city.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2016