Abducted toddler recovered within hours

RAWALPINDI:

Police safely recovered a two-and-a-half-year-old child within hours of his abduction from the Pirwadhai area's Fauji Colony, arresting a woman along with her accomplice, an Afghan national.

According to police, the toddler was playing in the street with his sister on Monday when unidentified suspects abducted him and fled. Upon receiving the report, Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) Syed Khalid Hamdani constituted a special team under Operations SSP Malik Tariq to trace the culprits.

A police spokesperson said that more than 2,000 CCTV cameras were monitored to track the suspects and locate their hideout.

The accused were eventually traced and arrested in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), and the child was recovered safely from their custody.

The woman confessed to abducting the child of a rickshaw driver for her childless sister-in-law. She carried out the crime with the help of her associate, an Afghan national who was residing in Pakistan illegally and had a criminal record involving theft and robbery. He had previously been deported twice but re-entered the country via Quetta.

Following the successful recovery, CPO Hamdani personally handed the child over to his parents. A large number of local residents gathered at the scene, chanting slogans in support of the police and showering officers with flower petals and garlands in appreciation.

Police confirmed that both suspects have been formally arrested and will be presented before a court to obtain physical remand.