Day-long search along four kilometres stretch of Nullah Leh ends without any leads; locals stage protest
Relatives of a missing six-year-old girl and local residents stage a protest at Bohar Bazaar Chowk in Rawalpindi on Thursday. Photo: Author
Police on Thursday registered a kidnapping case after a day-long search failed to trace a six-year-old girl who went missing near Committee Chowk in Rawalpindi, launching a formal investigation into her disappearance.
Earlier in the day, Rescue 1122 launched a large-scale search operation after the girl’s father reported that she had disappeared near Landa Bazaar. The operation covered more than four kilometres of Nullah Leh amid fears that the child may have been swept away by rainwater following heavy overnight rainfall.
According to officials, Umair Ahmed, a resident of Lahore, had travelled to Rawalpindi with his family to visit his in-laws. As the family prepared to return home on Thursday morning, he was helping his children into the car when he realised his daughter, Hareem Umair, was missing.
Read: Sibling duo goes missing in Rawalpindi
Heavy overnight rain had left stormwater drains in the area flowing at a high level.
Rescue 1122 and the police were informed immediately, after which rescue teams launched a search operation in the area where the child was believed to have fallen. The search covered both open and covered sections of the drain.
Two water rescue teams, comprising 12 rescuers and five vehicles, took part in the operation.
District Emergency Officer Engineer Sibghatullah said the search had been divided into four sectors, covering the route from the incident site through Bohar Bazaar Chowk, Colonel Maqbool Chowk, Liaquat Road and Gawalmandi.
He said the operation was later extended from the point where the drainage channel enters Nullah Leh to Moti Mahal Bridge.
According to the official, line searches were carried out over an area exceeding four kilometres, while all available resources were being utilised. Officials of the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) also assisted Rescue 1122 during the operation.
Speaking to the media, the child’s father, Umair Ali, said rainwater had accumulated in the area, and his daughter suddenly went missing.
“I immediately searched the nearby streets and asked a security guard and relatives who were present there, but no one had seen my daughter,” he said.
The girl’s mother said her daughter had been cheerful and healthy the previous night and that she was not present at the scene when the incident occurred.
The search operation continued until after sunset but failed to locate the child. Rescue officials said the operation had been temporarily suspended due to darkness and would resume early on Friday with all available resources.
After the search ended without any trace of the child, relatives and residents gathered at Bohar Bazaar Chowk and staged a protest, demanding that the authorities continue efforts to recover her.
Following the unsuccessful search, the girl’s father approached the police to register a kidnapping case, and Waris Khan police registered a first information report under Section 363 of the Pakistan Penal Code on his complaint.
Also Read: Search for drowned child in Nullah Leh enters day four
In the FIR, Umair Ali stated that he had come to Rawalpindi to visit his cousin’s house in Landa Bazaar. He said that after dinner, as he and his family stepped outside to get into their car during heavy rain, there was around a foot of water on the street. When he could not find his daughter, he feared she had either been swept away by the rainwater or abducted.
The family and relatives later also staged a sit-in, demanding that the police and other concerned authorities make every possible effort to recover the missing child.
After more than an hour of protest, police assured the demonstrators that all available resources would be utilised and that the search and investigation would continue in coordination with the relevant departments. The protesters dispersed peacefully following the assurance.
