Kidnapping panic grips Karachi parents, police chief says only rumours

KARACHI: There was panic among parents in the city as reports of kidnapping attempts surfaced. However these reports were termed rumors by Police Chief Mushtaq Maher.

In a statement the police chief said the high alert regarding widespread kidnapping of children and females by certain elements was not based on facts.

“There is no truth in children being in children being kidnapped systematically or in a planned way or dead bodies being recovered,” the police chief said.

He added that information pertaining to this was being spread with malafide intentions in an attempt to create panic in the minds of parents and to discredit the efforts of Police and Rangers. “Such unverified and untruthful information is vehemently denied as it is not based on facts”.

The police chief requested that people not pay any heed to such rumours.

Chairman All Private Schools Association Sindh, Khalid Shah while speaking to Geo News said a circular pertaining to kidnapping had been sent out by some schools in the city, but this was not an official measure by the association.

He added that panic had been created via social media and no such information was provided on the official level.

Meanwhile, residents in different areas of the city claimed to have apprehended people involved in kidnapping attempts.

A woman attempting to kidnap a girl from the Zia Colony of the area was caught red handed. Residents said the woman was trying to kidnap by the girl by placing her in a sack but her attempt was foiled when residents of the area heard the girl’s cries following which the woman tried to flee. Police were able to apprehend the woman with the help of the area’s residents. The woman was transferred to the Gulshan-e-Iqbal police station and a case has been lodged.

In a separate incident, residents of Shireen Jinnah caught two woman who they claim are involved in kidnapping attempts.

According to reports the women were beaten by the area’s residents who refused to hand them over to the police. This led to a police baton charge and reinforcements being summoned.

Police said the two women caught are beggars and not involved in kidnappings Police claim people panicked and mistook them for kidnappers