Foiled: Two students escape kidnapping bid

HARIPUR: At least two seminary students escaped a kidnapping attempt in Khanpur, Haripur on Sunday. According to the police, 17-year-old Atique and 14-year-old Rafaqat were students of Madrassah Masjid Qaba, Khanpur. At around 8:15pm, they went to collect bread from a local bakery when two masked men tried to kidnap them. However, the girls resisted and threw stones at them. As a result, the kidnappers managed to escape. After the incident, the police launched a search operation but failed to find any leads. Meanwhile, religious leaders condemned the kidnapping attempt on seminary students and pressed the police to ensure the protection of children as kidnapping cases had spiked in the region.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 22^nd,  2016.