SAHIWAL, March 27: Abid, a boy who claimed to have escaped from the clutches of kidnappers who apparently smuggle children out of the country, was handed over to his father Nazir Ahmad on Wednesday.

The police have no clue yet to the identity of the kidnappers who still might be holding about a dozen children, including two girls.

Abid told the Grain Market police on Tuesday he was abducted from Thing Mor on Saturday. He said he had lost senses after he drank some tea offered by a man. When he came to, he said, he was inside a container with 12 to 13 boys, 10 to 20 years of age.

Later two girls, one of them carrying books, joined them from some place near Okara. He said the container was travelling towards Multan. It had a hole in the floor which was used as the toilet drain. On Tuesday afternoon, he said, when the trailer was parked at a place south of Multan, he got the opportunity to escape.

At around 10pm, he said, somebody stopped him at Sahiwal bus stand and handed him over to the Grain Market police. Sub-inspector Muhammad Amin said one Liaquat Ali had handed over the boy at the bus stand. On Wednesday, the boy was handed over to his father, Nazir, and brother, Khalid, who came to the police station from Thing Mor.

The police said the kidnappers had probably crossed into Sindh.

The Sahiwal SSP was not available for his comments.

ARRESTED: The local Grain Market police on Wednesday arrested a prayer leader for allegedly kidnapping a minor girl.