School rickshaw driver turns out kidnapper

5-year-old brother of recovered girl, who was also kidnapped, was found killed.

FAISALABAD: Five days after two siblings, 9, and 5, were kidnapped by a rickshaw driver in Faisalabad, the girl was recovered from Multan. Her brother had been found killed earlier from the Thikriwala area. The body was recovered from a sewerage drain.

The children had been taken away on their way to school by the driver of the rickshaw the parents had hired for the purpose.

Police said the rickshaw driver, Abdus Shakoor, a resident of Chak 59-GB, had been arrested. They said he had confessed to kidnapping. Shakoor, they said, was a neighbour of the children.

Some neighbours said that the children’s father worked for an intelligence organisation.

They several teams of the Jaranwala- Saddar police had been visiting the area to investigate the matter.

They said the boy’s body was recovered from a drain on Friday. They said the recovery of the body had spread panic in the area. Residents had warned police with massive demonstrations if the girl was not recovered. Special teams comprising CIA SP Farooq Gondal, Jaranwala SP Ejaz Shafi Dogar and four SHOs, were formed to investigate the case. The suspect was arrested and later confessed to the crime. He led the police to the girl who he had been kept in a house in Multan.

Police said they had conducted 20 raids before the suspect, who had gone into hiding, was caught.

The CPO announced cash prizes and appreciation letters for the police team that made the arrest and recovered the child.

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