RAWALPINDI: Police investigating into the child abuse case claimed to have recovered an 11-year-old tea vendor who had allegedly been abducted by a man arrested and being suspected of leading an international dark web.

One of his accomplices was also arrested from Mandi Mor as police raids continued to arrest other members of the gang which sources said operated from Peshawar.

On Thursday, a relative of the 11-year-old boy lodged an FIR with Rawat police stating that the child, a tea vendor in Bahria Town Phase VIII, had been missing for over two months. He said the child might have been abducted by the suspect who was arrested a few days ago.

According to a source, following disclosure by the main suspect in the child abuse case, the police conducted a raid and recovered the tea vendor and also arrested the main suspect’s accomplice.

The accomplice was a resident of Khayaban-i-Sir Syed. The police released a video to the media in which the accomplice claimed that he was a ‘broker’ and supplied children to the main suspect.

He also claimed that the main suspect had handed the child to him, and also brought children from Peshawar along with ice heroin. He said the main suspect was also involved in selling narcotics and forcing abducted children to take ice heroin before molesting them.

The accomplice also confessed to having supplied three to four children to the main suspect, residing in Bahria Town Phase VIII. He also said the main suspect also supplied children to others for sexual abuse.

The boy recovered by the police has not been handed over to his parents as he is being interviewed by the police.

In a video released by the police, the child accused the main suspect of taking him to his house in a car and detaining him there for over two months.

He said the suspect intoxicated and molested him. Later, the suspect handed the boy over to his accomplice who also molested him.

Police said a blue vehicle which the main suspect allegedly used to supply children to others had also been recovered. More arrests in connection with the case are expected.

Separately, police arrested two suspects allegedly involved in sexually abusing a class 9th student in Kotli Sattian on Friday.

Khalid Mehmood Satti complained to the police that his 14-year-old son was returning home from a market when he was taken to a jungle by two persons and molested.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2019