KHYBER: Traffic on the main road leading to the Torkham border remained suspended for nearly five hours on Tuesday after the tribesmen agitated over the abduction of a boy in Landi Kotal.

Though the abducted boy identified as Mohammad Mohsin was ‘dropped’ at his house in semi-conscious condition by unknown abductors after a social media outcry about the incident, his uncle, Kifayatullah, accused the police of deliberate negligence in tracking down the accused.

He told mediapersons at the protest that the police first apprehended a suspected taxi driver, but later released him at midnight without investigating him and giving them any tangible reason for his release.

The Sultan Khel tribesmen ended the protest after the police officials assured them of fair investigation into the boy’s abduction and the re-arrest of the taxi driver.

The tribesmen also demanded medical examination of the boy to find any trace of sexual abuse as he also had torture marks on his body.

Meanwhile, the rapid response team of the Landi Kotal hospital continued conducting tests on dengue suspects in Matta Khel, Meri Khel and Gul Ahmad Kallay areas for third consecutive day on Tuesday.

The team comprising specialist doctors, technicians, malaria supervisors and lady health workers destroyed dengue larva at five houses. They advised the residents to fully cover water tanks and pots used for water storage inside houses.

The team along with the tehsil municipal authority staff also fumigated the localities and distributed pamphlets among the residents, highlighting precautions against the virus.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2021