Speaking to The Express Tribune, City Police Officer (CPO) Sohail Tajik said Ali Hassan had gone to play outside his house in Chak 225-RB on September 9 when he went missing. His parents tried searching for him but in vain. They then informed the police about his disappearance. Tajik said they received an anonymous phone call demanding Rs1 million as ransom for Hassan. He said they informed the police about the development. Tajik said he had immediately constituted a police team to recover the child after receiving the information. He said the team comprised Iqbal Town Superintendent Zulfiquar Ahmed, Factory Area Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Malik Khalid, Saddar DSP Saleem Warraich, Technical Team in-charge Sub Inspector Sarwar Ali and Saddar Investigation in-charge Muhammad Afzal.
Tajik said the team had traced the callers’ location to a house in Chak 353-JB in Gojra. He said the team had found Muhammad Tariq, a cousin of the victim, residing in the house and suspected him of carrying out suspicious activities. Tajik said police had taken him in custody. He said he had confessed to abducting Hassan and revealed that he was being detained in the same locality. Tariq also told officials that he had spent time in prison as part of an earlier 25-year sentence for his involvement in a murder. He said his imprisonment had rendered his family destitute.
Tariq said he had formed a plan to kidnap the child as he came from a rich family. He said he had kidnapped Hassan with two residents of Chak 424-JB, Baba Shahbaz and Zahid Hiraj. Tariq said he had promised them a share in the ransom for their assistance.
Tajik said a police team had raided Chak 424-JB and arrested Shahbaz. He said Hiraj had gone underground fearing arrest but the police hoped to nab him in 48 hours. Tajik praised the team for safely recovering the child and awarded them with certificates and Rs50,000. A case has been registered against the men.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 15th, 2014.
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