Prank call: Police trace fake kidnapping call

Voice of sobbing girl tells police of five girls being kidnapping from Korangi.

KARACHI: The police helpline centre was jolted into high alert when its staff received a call, at 3:30 pm on Friday. A girl said while sobbing, “Us five girls of Government Degree College for Women, Korangi 6 have been kidnapped.”

The caller went on to say that they were kidnapped on their way home from college and  had been put in a rail car of the Allama Iqbal Express.

The helpline staff forwarded the information to the office of the superintendent police of Shah Faisal Town. After considerable time and effort they were able to trace the location from where the call had been made.

The call turned out to be fake. According to Shah Faisal SSP Chaudhry Asad, the call was traced to a man identified as Saleem Rehman. He suspected that it had been made using a voice changer.

Saleem was arrested further investigations and are under way to ascertain his motives.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th,  2011.