Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori on Thursday assured the parents of a boy missing since last week that he would be recovered soon as the Karachi police continued their investigation of a recent string of child kidnappings.

Three children were recently kidnapped from the city, which prompted the Sindh chief minister and home minister to take notice and order the police to take practical measures for their immediate recovery.

Two children were abducted by a couple riding a motorcycle in Garden on Tuesday while a third one was kidnapped from North Karachi on January 7 for whose release, ransom has reportedly been demanded from the family.

South Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Asad Raza had told Dawn.com that two children — five-year-old Aliyan, aka Ali, and six-year-old Ali Raza — were playing on Siddique Wahab Road in Garden West when a couple riding a motorcycle took them away on Tuesday around 1:30pm.

Meanwhile, the third child, seven-year-old Mohammed Sarim, has been missing and believed to have been kidnapped from North Karachi on Jan 7 when he did not return from a seminary where he had gone for religious teaching.

A statement issued by the Governor’s House today said Sarim’s parents met Tessori who assured the mother that her son would be recovered “very soon”.

“All possible steps are being taken to ensure the recovery of Sarim,” he was quoted as saying.

Governor Tessori also instructed Sindh Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon to ensure the child’s recovery and directed Citizens Police Liasion Committee chief Zubair Habib to utilise all available resources for the purpose.

Sarim’s father Mohsin Pervez told Dawn.com the governor informed him that the authorities expected a “breakthrough” within a few days in the case.

Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) DIG Muquddus Haider told Dawn.com today that Sarim’s case was transferred to the Anti-Violence Crime Cell (AVCC) for investigation the other day after his family reported a ransom call.

However, the CIA head pointed out that one call was made from Saudi Arabia while another call through WhatsApp was made from Multan. He said one such number had been used in a few other cases in which unknown caller(s) demanded ransom from the parents for their lost children. He hinted at the possibility that it appeared to be a fake call.

DIG Haider said no such ransom call was made in the kidnapping of two children from Garden.

AVCC Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Aneel Haider told Dawn.com that the suspect who demanded a ransom call was deported from Saudi Arabia over his alleged criminal activities there. He said another call made from Multan was used in “several” other cases and it appeared to be a prank call.

SSP Haider said he and a team of investigators met Sarim’s family in North Karachi today, visited the crime scene and also obtained CCTV footage for investigation purposes.

Pervez said the caller had demanded Rs0.5 million from them. However, he said the AVCC investigators who met him today advised the family to ignore such calls.

Two children recovered

Separately, the police said two children who went missing from Keamari district two days ago were safely recovered today. Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar appreciated the Keamari SSP and his team for the effort.

The home minister also sought details from the City SSP about the alleged kidnapping of two children from Garden.