OKARA: A-Division police registered an anti-terrorism case against five nominated and about 50 unidentified people who had blocked a road, damaged a police vehicle and resorted to aerial firing on Tuesday after they caught a couple on suspicion of kidnappers on Mandi Road.

The nominated accused Atif, Sayyam, Husnain, Shahid and Mithho and their unidentified accomplices were booked under sections 324, 427, 341, 353, 186, 148, 149 of the PPC and 7-ATC on the report of Sub-Inspector Ashiq Abid.

Maqbool and his wife Zubaida were caught by some people on suspicion of kidnappers on Tuesday night. Later, a large number of people gathered there, blocked the road and resorted to aerial firing.

A police team rushed to the spot and took the couple into custody, but before boarding the police vehicle the couple was thrashed by the mob.

TOBA TEK SINGH: People on Wednesday thrashed a suspected captor and later handed him over to police at Chak 711-GB.

A group of villagers told police that the suspect allegedly enticed 10-year-old Muhammad Ramzan into getting a mobile phone. The boy raised an alarm when he felt that the man was taking him towards crops.

The villagers chased the suspect who took shelter in a field. People encircled the field, overpowered him and thrashed him.

SHO Malik Akbar Hayat said the man seemed mentally challenged.

Meanwhile, a five-year-old boy was found slain at Chak 716-GB near Pirmahal on Wednesday.

Muhammad Aqib had been missing for the last one day. On Wednesday, villagers recovered his body from crops.

Police have shifted the body to Pirmahal THQ hospital for autopsy.

Complainant Sarfraz Ahmad suspected that his relative Saleem took away his son Aqib to a nearby tubewell for bathing where he allegedly slit his throat.

Police have taken the suspect into custody and are investigating.

BAHAWALPUR: Saddar police claimed on Wednesday to have handed over a boy to Rawalpindi police from where he had been allegedly abducted a few days back.

According to police sources, two men Liaquat Ali and Faisal Shahzad on Aug 15 handed over Attiqur Rehman to Saddar police saying that the boy was wandering at the Bahawalpur railway station.

The boy told police that he was abducted by four unidentified men from outside his house in New Town Rawalpindi police precincts.

When contacted, Rawalpindi police confirmed that they had registered an abduction case on the complaint of Attiq’s father.

On Tuesday, a police party from Rawalpindi reached here and the boy was handed over to them.

Meanwhile, local police are receiving hoax child abduction calls.

According to DPO’s Public Relations Officer Jam Sajjad, emergency police (15) received more than 50 mobile phone calls regarding child abduction during the last 15 days which turned out hoax.

He said when police parties called back on callers’ numbers, the phones were found switched off.

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2016