LAHORE, Feb 20: Factory Area police claimed on Monday to have recovered a five-year-old boy kidnapped for Rs0.2 million ransom, arresting the child’s aunt for her alleged involvement in the crime.

Cantonment SP (investigation) Muhammad Amin Bukhari told Dawn the victim, Abdul Rehman, was kidnapped from outside his Javed Colony residence on Feb 17.

Later, the victim’s parents were called by the kidnappers at a place in Defense Housing Authority to pay the ransom.

Accordingly, the parents paid Rs150,000 to the kidnappers who assured them that they would set the child free on Ghazi Road.

Meanwhile, the police who had been informed of the matter, deputed some plainclothesmen on Ghazi Road and nabbed the criminals when they came there to drop the boy. The police also recovered two motorcycles used in the crime, along with the ransom money, from the kidnappers.

Later, in the light of the information extracted from the arrested kidnappers, the police took the victim’s aunt Shakeela in custody. Shakeela’s alleged accomplices are Iftikhar, Imran and Afzal.

The SP said Shakeela planned the crime after coming to know that Rehman’s father Muhammad Ejaz had recently got some money from the sale of his house.

She told the police that she gave the child sleeping pills to keep him ‘clam’ during his detention. The child was also thrashed by his kidnappers for trying to raise an alarm, the SP added.

Girl murdered: A teenaged girl was found murdered at home in Mateen Avenue Housing Society near Butt Chowk, College Road, on Monday.

Police said the motive for the murder could not be ascertained.

Sattokatla SHO Nazir Ahmad said a police team arrived at the house of labourer Naushair Ahmad and found his 16-year-old daughter Shaheen dead.

He said Shaheen was spotted dead with severe marks of bruises on her head and it appeared that the victim was attacked by intruder(s) with bricks. The SHO said police also recovered a couple of bricks from the spot.

He said Shaheen’s sister first arrived at home and spotted her dead, adding that the victim’s parents and a brother were at their workplaces at the time of the incident.

Nazir said the family did not show suspicion on any one. Police have registered a case on the complaint of Shaheen’s brother Ghulam Qadir.

BODY FOUND: A 25-year-old employee of a trading company was found dead under mysterious circumstances at a graveyard on Pir Ghazi Road on Monday. Ichhra police said the victim identified as Irfan Mansha of Kasur, who was living at a temporary residential place situated at Takia Lehri Shah, took one-day leave from his employer (Alraheem Traders) on Sunday and didn’t return on Monday.

Police said a post-mortem examination would determine the exact cause of death.