Toddler kidnapped from park

Child was last seen being carried by man accompanied by small child, burqa-clad woman

KARACHI: A toddler was allegedly kidnapped from Jehangir Park by unidentified persons on Sunday. The child's father, Muhammad Amir, said that he and his family had gone to the park for a picnic when his two and half year-old son, Muhammad Sudais, went missing.

"Sudais had gone to buy something from a shop inside the park, at a short distance from us, but he disappeared all of a sudden," said Amir, adding that the family had then gone looking for the child but could not find him anywhere. According to Amir, after searching for Sudais, he immediately reported the incident to the police.

Preedy SHO Sajjad Khan reportedly arrived at the park soon after with a group of police officers and began a search for the child, additionally questioning the park's administration about his whereabouts. Following this, police registered a case on Amir's behalf against unidentified men under Sections 364 and 364A of the Pakistan Penal Code, which pertains to the kidnapping of a minor.

According to SHO Khan, CCTV footage from the cameras in the park's surroundings showed a bearded man, with a woman wearing a burqa and a four or five year-old boy, carrying Sudais out of the park. The suspects were initially seen going towards a rickshaw but ultimately continued walking and disappeared out of view of the camera after a while, added Khan.

He expressed the suspicion that the kidnappers were working in an organised group, adding that the police are making every possible effort to locate the kidnappers through the footage. He maintained that footage from the Command and Control Centre and other cameras around the park's surroundings would be acquired by Tuesday morning, adding that special informants and teams have been made active to ensure the recovery of Sudais as soon as possible.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2020.