LAHORE (Muhammad Ashfaq) – A 14-year-old girl, who went missing from Sheikhupura seven months ago, has been recovered from Jacobabad, it is learned.
During the search initiated to recover Alishba, the Sheikhupura police busted an abduction racket by making seven arrests in Lahore and Jacobabad.
According to details, an abduction case was registered with the Factory Area Police Station in Sheikhupura on June 2 following the disappearance of the teenage girl.
Police initiated an investigation and upon their failure to recover the girl, approached the Lahore High Court, where Justice Farooq Haider issued orders for Alishba’s recovery.
The judge instructed Sheikhupura DPO Zahid Nawaz Marwat to oversee the case.
In the meantime, one Latifaan Bibi from Sindh contacted Alishba's mother and asked her to pay a ransom of Rs 2.5 million to take her daughter back.
Police traced Latifaan Bibi’s mobile phone number and discovered her constant contact with an abduction racket operating in Data Darbar area of Lahore.
Later, police arrested five gang members identified as Altaf Nadeem, Sarwar, Anila, Iram and Nasreen.
During investigations, the accused persons revealed that Alishba had befriended a boy from Lahore on microblogging website Facebook. The boy lured her to Lahore, allegedly subjecting her to assault before fleeing, they claimed.
Alishba sought refuge at Data Darbar that night, where she was drugged and then sold through Latifaan Bibi in Sindh for Rs 0.2 million.
Afterwards, Alishba was sold again in Ghotki, Sukkur and Larkana. Eventually, she was sold for Rs 0.3 million in Kaccha.
Sheikhupura police conducted raids in different areas of Sindh, leading to recovery of Alishba from Jacobabad.
Police arrested Latifaan Bibi and her accomplice Muhammad Khan and transferred them to Lahore.
According to DPO Zahid Nawaz Marwat, Latifaan Bibi, during investigation, disclosed that she had abducted around 500 girls from Data Darbar area so far and sold them to different gangs.
Alishba was presented in Justice Farooq Haider's court, where the DPO revealed all the facts.
Justice Haider commended the Sheikhupura DPO, and ordered that the case should not be left unresolved and the actual culprits be arrested.
The court directed that all-out efforts be made to recover all the abductees.