Mystery surrounds recovery of Karachi child as police, family give different accounts

Karachi: The recovery of two-and-a-half-year-old Azaan, who was allegedly abducted from Karachi’s Manghopir area, has raised several questions, with conflicting statements from police and the child’s family creating uncertainty over whether the child was kidnapped or simply went missing.

According to details, the case has become a mystery as police claim that the child was recovered through an intelligence-based operation after a ransom demand, while statements from the child’s parents and uncle have raised questions about the official version of events.

Key questions remain unanswered: Was Azaan actually kidnapped or did he go missing? Was he recovered by police or found by his family themselves? The differing accounts have added complexity to the investigation.

CIA officials have also questioned aspects of the police narrative. Officials stated that if a ransom demand of Rs5 million had been made from the child’s father, the case would technically fall under the jurisdiction of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell. However, they noted that the child was found only an hour after the alleged ransom call, raising questions about the sequence of events.

Authorities are questioning why the abductors would release the child without receiving the ransom amount and why police appeared to claim credit for the recovery so quickly.

Azaan’s mother rejected several police claims, saying that neither the housing society administration nor the police provided meaningful assistance during the search. She said the suspects came under pressure after the child’s video went viral on social media and allegedly left him on their own.

She claimed that an unknown social media account uploaded a post stating: “A child has been found walking and crying on the road. Whoever he belongs to should come and collect him.” The post was uploaded around 9:00 a.m.

According to the mother, when the family reached the location mentioned in the post, residents there gave several conflicting statements. Some claimed that someone had left the child around 4:00 a.m., while others said they found him in the morning and immediately shared the post. Another version suggested that two people arrived, ate food, drank tea, and then left the child behind.

Meanwhile, while police have claimed credit for an operation in Gharho, Azaan’s uncle presented a different account, saying that a relative identified the child after seeing his picture on social media. The family then travelled to the location themselves and brought the child back.

CIA officials have reportedly expressed concerns over the case and stated that it remains unclear from whom and through what operation the child was actually recovered. Police have yet to provide details about the alleged abductors or the circumstances of the child’s recovery.