Father’s Friend Identified as Key Suspect in Karachi Toddler Kidnapping Case

Karachi: Police have arrested three suspects, including the alleged mastermind, in connection with the kidnapping of two-year-old Azaan from Karachi’s New Nazimabad area. According to investigators, the main suspect was a friend of the child’s father.

Police said the suspect attempted to avoid suspicion by joining the family in the search for the missing child while presenting himself as innocent.

According to the investigation, the suspects allegedly demanded Rs5 million in ransom from the child’s parents. Police said the kidnapping was planned by the main suspect along with his brother-in-law and another accomplice. Investigators also recovered the helmets and clothing allegedly used during the crime and said the motorcycle used in the abduction carried a fake registration plate.

Police added that the child was taken to Gharo after the kidnapping.

However, the child’s mother disputed the police’s account, claiming the suspects abandoned the child after feeling pressured by widespread social media attention and the circulation of a video related to the case.

She said an anonymous social media account posted a message stating that a crying child had been found on a roadside and asked the family to collect him. According to her, when relatives reached the location mentioned in the post, they received conflicting accounts from people present there about how and when the child had been left.

The child’s uncle also questioned the police’s version of events, saying that an acquaintance in Gharo recognized the child from a photo circulating on social media, after which the family traveled there and took the child into their custody. Authorities said the investigation is ongoing.