Close call: 14-year-old foils kidnap attempt

The boy managed to escape while being taken to an unidentified destination by a bus, said police.

BAHAWALPUR:

A 14-year-old boy, abducted from Gujranwala by unidentified men on Wednesday, was recovered on Thursday from a house in Rahim Yar Khan where, he said, he had taken shelter.

Police said he had managed to escape while being taken to an unidentified destination by a bus. He had run into a house, where he was given shelter and the police were informed.

Police said Zohaib Hassan, a resident of WAPDA Town in Gujranwala, was kidnapped from a bus stand shortly after he left a friend’s house. The boy said when he came to, he found that the men were taking him somewhere in a bus.

He said he asked the men to stop somewhere because he needed to use the restroom. He said when they stopped near a field, one of them walked to the other side of the road. He said he ran into a nearby house and told the family about the kidnapping.

He said the family locked their doors and informed the police. He said some men from the house also tried to catch the kidnappers, but they fled. A-Division Station House Officer Lateef Kiyani visited the house and took the boy in custody.

The SHO told The Express Tribune that an FIR had been registered against the suspects. He said police were looking for the suspects.

He said the boy’s family had been contacted and that he would be handed over to them after meeting legal formalities. He said the boy’s statement had been recorded. He would be needed to visit the police station for an identification parade once the suspects were arrested, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2014.