Soldier arrested for kidnapping child

Officer allegedly had land dispute with victim’s father; his wife is still at large

RAWALPINDI: The Sadar Beruni Police arrested a soldier on charges of kidnapping a five-year-old girl and turned him over to the military police for further action.

The alleged kidnapper was apparently involved in a land dispute with the girl’s father, the police said.

Hawaldar Muhammad Fayyaz, a member of the Army Medical Corps (AMC) serving at Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Multan, was arrested and is now in Military Police custody, the police said.

The police are also attempting to track down and arrest his wife, who is a co-accused.

Sanaullah Malik, a resident of Sadiq Town, Adiala Road, filed a complaint with the Sadar Beruni police officials and lodged a complaint that he was standing outside his house with his wife while his daughter was playing with other children when Muhammad Fayyaz and his wife Shabana came on a motorcycle, kidnapped his daughter, and sped away towards Dhama Mor on Adiala Road.

He said that the motive behind the kidnapping was a land dispute between him and the kidnappers. He added that the alleged kidnappers had threatened to kill the child.

The police lodged a kidnapping case against Fayyaz and his wife Shabana and started investigations, sources said.

Saddar Bairuni SHO Malik Muhammad Yar confirmed the incident and said that the police had apprehended the kidnapper and recovered the girl from his custody. He said the police first intimated the junior commissioned officer of the soldier’s unit about the crime.

The JCO later sent military police personnel to the police station to take the accused into custody for further investigation.

The girl was reunited with her parents, he said, adding that Shahbana has obtained pre-arrest bail.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2016.