Two kidnapped children find their way home

General secretary Khurram Sohail Raja issued a statement expressing concern over child abduction cases in the province

FAISALABAD: Two boys who were abducted from Muradke on Tuesday returned home on Friday.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Gulberg SHO Masood Sadiq said the boys had told them that they were playing in a street when a woman offered them sweets.

“They said they had fainted after eating the sweets and had later woken in a locked room,” the SHO said. “They were kept there for a few days. On Friday, the boys were put in a car and were being moved to another location when they found an opportunity to escape.”

He said the kidnappers had stopped the car on Bakarmandi Road to get food and water. “This is when the boys got out of the car and fled,” he said. The SHO said the kidnappers did not chase them.

He said the boys did not know where they were and were unsure about the way home. They also had no money, he said. He said they had solicited the help from some passersby, who had accompanied them to the Gulberg police station.

After recording their statements, a police team contacted their parents. The parents told police that the boys had been missing for 72 hours.

The SHO said an FIR had been registered against unidentified suspects.

The SHO said a sketch had been prepared of the woman suspect based on the description provided by the boys. He said a team had been formed to apprehend the suspects.

Kidnapping suspect beaten by mob

A man suspected of abducting a boy was beaten up by a mob near Jhang Road on Friday. Later, they handed him over to police.

A police spokesman said witnesses had told them that he had attempted to abduct a nine-year-old boy from the street. He said the boy had raised alarm and several people had gathered at the scene.

He said the suspect had tried to run away but was chased down by the people who then beat him up. He said they tied up hands and paraded him on the street before handing him over to police. He said during interrogation, Shahid had denied the charge.

‘Form a commission to probe child abductions’

Pakistan Society of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology (PSFMT) general secretary Khurram Sohail Raja on Friday issued a statement expressing concern over child abduction cases in the province.

Raja said, “In recent days, countless incidents of child kidnappings have surfaced from the Punjab. Such reports have spread a wave of terror. Parents are afraid to send their children outdoors.” He said a commission should be formed to investigate child kidnappings over the decade.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 13^th, 2016.