Karachi: Shopping mall security saves girl from abduction

KARACHI: The private security of a shopping mall Saturday foiled the abduction of a young girl here in one of Karachi’s posh neighborhoods, Geo News reported.

Reportedly, abetted by a female companion a bunch of gun-wielding desperadoes barged into a shopping center in Clifton area and tried to abduct a girl. The tussle that followed next alerted the security forcing the snatchers to fall back. Sensing danger, they fired shots injuring a security guard and another female shopper before making their gateway.

Eyewitnesses said the panicked kidnappers shot out through the backdoor, got into their car, revved it up and gunned ahead towards the exit but found the mall’s parking gates locked. Improvising, they left their car behind, jumped over the rails of the parking, landed on the road, commandeered a car and sped away safe & sound, they added.

It was also reported that the retaliatory fire by the mall's security guards damaged the kidnappers car, which could have also forced them to leave their ride behind.

The police, after watching the surveillance camera footage, made it clear that a girl was accompanying the armed men by the time they crashed in the mall, thus she was not the abductee. Earlier, it was reported that some hotshots have abducted a girl at the mall, but the girl was running with the pack, evident from the CCTV footage.

“They could not snatch the girl they were after”, said a police officer.

The car the kidnappers ditched in the mall’s parking was in police custody, he added.

It is pertinent to mention the sleek black car used in the attempted abduction bears a green “Applied for Registration” plate.

Further investigation was underway.