NAROWAL: The Shakargarh police have rescued a 14-year-old boy from kidnappers almost two months after he was taken away for ransom.

Imam Masjid Abid Hussain’s nephew Muhammad Abdullah, a resident of Fazilpur village on the outskirts of Shakargarh tehsil, left his house on Feb 17 for work but did not return home. Abid said the family moved from pillar to post to trace Abdullah and made announcements about his disappearance in mosques but to no avail.

Abid said that on Feb 21, a gang of kidnappers demanded Rs1 million ransom and subsequently, they remained in contact with the family from different numbers. He said 15 days after the failure of Abdullah’s recovery, the Shah Gharib police station registered a case against unidentified kidnappers on March 3 on his request.

District Police Officer Syed Ali Akbar took notice of the incident and formed raiding teams headed by Shakargarh DSP Malik Muhammad Khalil for the recovery of the boy.

Police traced mobile phone calls using modern technology and reached the place near Azad Kashmir where the boy had been kept.

The DSP said the child’s recovery was made possible with the help of the technology. He said the kidnappers made good their escape.

The Shah Gharib police handed over Abdullah to his parents after legal proceedings.

The DPO announced certificates of appreciation and cash prizes for the DSP, SHO and the raiding team.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2021