Two Karachi children still missing after six days of abduction

• CCTV shows man, woman taking children toward Lyari.
• Five-member committee formed to expedite investigation.
• Facial recognition flags suspects; questioning still ongoing.
  

KARACHI: Six days have passed since two children, five-year-old Aliyan and six-year-old Ali Raza, went missing while playing outside their homes in Karachi’s Garden locality.

Despite ongoing police efforts, their whereabouts remain unknown.

The incident unfolded on January 15 when Aliyan's mother, Zainab, returned home from her job at a gym and found her son missing. Upon inquiring, Aliyan’s father, Younis, informed her that the boy had gone outside to play. 

Zainab began searching and learned from a neighbour that their son Ali had also gone outside to play with Aliyan but had not returned.

An FIR was registered on Zainab’s complaint, and the family expressed that they had no known enmity with anyone. Younis said that since no such act has taken place in their vicinity ever they waited for a while before approaching the police.

CCTV footage that surfaced shows two individuals — a man and a woman — riding a motorcycle with Aliyan and Ali. The footage indicates that the suspects headed towards Lyari. However, the video quality has hindered the identification of the suspects and their vehicle.

In response to the incident, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had taken notice and directed Karachi Police to recover the children immediately. He also ordered increased patrolling in the city and sought a detailed report from Karachi Additional IG Javed Alam Odho.

DIG South Asad Raza revealed that the children’s last known location was Lyari’s Kashti Chowk, as captured in CCTV footage. The footage shows a man and a woman taking the children on a motorcycle. However, the video quality is insufficient to identify the suspects or the motorcycle.

According to Raza, additional CCTV footage is being collected from the surrounding areas to trace the suspects’ movements. He added that geofencing of the incident site and the children’s last known location has been completed, and details of the motorcycle are being sought with the help of the Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell (AVLC). The AVLC is assisting in tracing the vehicle using its number plate.

DIG South has constituted a five-member committee, led by SSP City Arif Aziz. Special instructions have been issued to the team to expedite the recovery efforts.

SSP City highlighted the challenges posed by the unclear footage. He explained CCTV footage is not very clear which is making it difficult to confirm the suspects' identities. 

However, work is being done to obtain additional footage from Kashti Chowk and its surrounding areas to determine the suspects’ route and possible hideout.

When the footage was processed through a facial recognition system, 3-4 suspicious individuals were identified. These suspects were taken into custody yesterday, and questioning is ongoing. However, it is still unclear whether the individuals seen in the footage are involved.

Police have conducted multiple search operations in Garden and various parts of Lyari, late into the night. SHO Zubair Nawaz assured that investigations are progressing on multiple fronts.

The incident has caused widespread concern among residents, with many calling for expedited action. DIG South assured the public that the police are making every possible effort to bring the children back safely.