Azaan case: Video reveals how child was kept in Gharo

KARACHI: Video footage has surfaced showing the harsh conditions in which two-year-old Azaan was kept in Gharo after being kidnapped from Naya Nazimabad, ARY News reported.

The toddler was held in the riverine (Kacha) area amid intense heat. The video shows the child, wearing dirty clothes, crying constantly as his abductors try to calm him down while he appears severely distressed.

According to police, the main suspect, Ehtisham, along with his brother-in-law, Abdul Wahab, kidnapped the child from Naya Nazimabad and transported him to Gharo.

Azan was later handed over to a third suspect, Iftikhar Ahmed Thaem, who kept the child at his residence in Ahmedabad Thaem Goth, Taluka Sakro, Thatta.

The child spent two days at Iftikhar Ahmed’s residence before his recovery from the area.

Significant developments have emerged in the Azaan kidnapping case in Karachi, with the arrested suspects making a series of disclosures during the investigation.

According to investigators, the alleged mastermind behind the kidnapping, Ehtesham, was a close friend of the victim’s father for the past 22 years.

Ehtesham admitted that he visited the area on a motorcycle on four separate occasions before carrying out the abduction. He told investigators that he kidnapped his friend’s son out of financial greed.

“We had been friends since childhood, and I knew he was involved in the construction business,” Ehtesham said, adding that he believed the child’s father had the financial means to pay a ransom.

The suspect further stated that the child was already familiar with him. “I signalled to Azaan, and he came over to me,” he allegedly said.

Ehtesham claimed that after abducting Azaan, he took him to Jamshed Road and handed him over to his brother-in-law, Abdul Wahab. According to his statement, Abdul Wahab then transported the child by motorcycle to Gharo, where he was handed over to another accomplice, Iftikhar.

The suspect admitted that he had planned the entire operation and personally made the ransom demand using a foreign phone number.

Ehtesham also told investigators that he works in the clothing business on Tariq Road. He claimed that two months earlier he had requested Rs100,000 from Abdul Wahab after his daughter fell ill, but Abdul Wahab told him he did not have the money.

Abdul Wahab, in his statement, confirmed that Ehtesham had handed over Azaan to him, after which he transported him to Gharo on a motorcycle and subsequently left him in Iftikhar’s custody.

Iftikhar, identified by investigators as an alleged facilitator, stated that the child remained at his house for two to three days. He claimed he was unaware that the child had been abducted and only learned of the incident after seeing news reports on television.

The investigation into the case remains ongoing.