Report on efforts to recover kidnapped girl sought

KARACHI: The Supreme Court on April 27 directed the provincial police chief to submit a progress report on the efforts made to recover a girl who was kidnapped five years ago at the age of seven in a village in Jacobabad.

The apex court had taken a suo motu notice three years ago, where it had ordered the police to find Fazila Sarki, daughter of Abdul Razzaq Sarki, within a month, and had also directed the judge of the anti-terrorism court to monitor the investigation.

On April 27, the victim’s father along with Advocate Rasheed A. Razvi appeared in court and stated that there was still no trace of his daughter’s whereabouts despite the orders of the apex court.

Advocate Razvi moved an application for the review of the court’s past order asking the court to appoint a judge of the high court to monitor the police investigation.

The petitioner submitted in court that he had learnt that his daughter was in the captivity of Yaqoob Teghani, Sawan Teghani, Lal Bux Mir Bahar and others, but the police had made no efforts to track down the victim.

A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary directed the inspector general of police to submit a comprehensive report for this case and put off the hearing till May 4.

Later, the girl’s father told Dawn that the police had arrested Qadir Bux Sarki, Allah Warrayo Sarki, and others who confessed to have kidnapped and sold Fazila to a notorious dacoit, Budho Darki. When this dacoit was later killed in a shoot-out with police, Budho Sarki allegedly sold his daughter to Yaqoob Teghani, he added.

Dawn