Residents foil bid to ‘kidnap’ minor girl

Girl informs her mother that accused was trying to lure her into his rickshaw to eat a banana

LAHORE: The city escaped a Kasur-like incident on Friday when a seven-year-old girl refused an offer of a rickshaw driver who tried to lure her into his vehicle and eat a banana.

Instead of accepting the driver’s offer, the little girl rushed back home and informed her mother. Residents of Firdous Park area caught the accused, beat him black and blue and cut his hair.

Panic gripped area when the residents of the locality came to know the man belongs to Kasur. The people were infuriated because the accused had offered the girl a banana in a similar way the convict Imran Ali had done in Kasur where he abducted, raped and killed minor girls by offering them sweets and candies.

“Thank God we caught the accused in time otherwise we would be searching for the girl in the similar way the relatives of Zainab did,” said a resident Chaudhry Danish Nawaz.

A senior citizen, Kashif Javed appreciated the girl who in no time informed her parents about the offer of the rickshaw driver. Since the number of girls’ abduction and rape has risen, parents are educating their children to inform them and even residents if someone tries to offer them something to eat or tells them to come along with them.

As soon as the girl was offered a banana, she went home and narrated the whole story to her mother, who informed the residents and they caught the rickshaw driver.



A rickshaw driver named Abid after being caught by the residents said: “I had offered her a banana and asked her to eat it in my vehicle. I don’t know the girl and I didn’t have the intention to harm or kidnap her,” he claimed.

The residents not only beat him black and blue but also cut his hair. Later, they called 15 and informed police about the incident. About half-an-hour later police reached the site.

The accused admitted that he had offered the girl a banana, but later denied it. After being thrashed, he admitted that he had offered her a banana and asked her to sit in his auto.

A resident Muhammad Usman said that the accused kept mum when residents asked him why he had asked the girl to sit in his auto and eat a banana despite the fact that he had no relation with the girl.

Later, some relatives of the accused came and apologised to the family and residents over Abid’s offer to the girl to eat a banana while sitting in his vehicle.

Later, the girl’s father, Muhammad Faisal and other residents decided to go to the Factory Area police station where the relatives of the accused gave a written statement to police with the assurance they would be responsible if anything happens to her.  However, the girl’s father accepted their apology and told the police he had no objection if the accused was released.

Faisal confirmed with The Express Tribune that he accepted the apology of the relatives of Abid. He stressed that children should be educated about dealing with such situations. “I am pleased my daughter informed her mother right away.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2018.