Police register kidnapping case after six-year-old girl goes missing in Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi police have registered a kidnapping case after an extensive day-long search failed to locate a six-year-old girl who disappeared near Committee Chowk, prompting authorities to launch a formal criminal investigation while continuing search efforts.

Rawalpindi police have registered a kidnapping case after an extensive day-long search failed to locate a six-year-old girl who disappeared near Committee Chowk, prompting authorities to launch a formal criminal investigation while continuing search efforts.

The missing child, identified as Hareem Umair, vanished near Landa Bazaar on Thursday morning after her family, who had travelled from Lahore to visit relatives in Rawalpindi, prepared to return home. According to police, her father, Umair Ali, realised she was missing while helping his children into the family vehicle following heavy overnight rainfall.

The disappearance triggered a large-scale rescue operation led by Rescue 1122 amid concerns that the child may have been swept away by fast-flowing rainwater in the area’s drainage system. Heavy rainfall had caused stormwater drains and Nullah Leh to overflow, complicating search efforts.

Rescue teams divided the search area into four sectors, covering more than four kilometres from the site of the disappearance through Bohar Bazaar Chowk, Colonel Maqbool Chowk, Liaquat Road, Gawalmandi, and extending to Moti Mahal Bridge. Officials searched both open and covered sections of the drainage network.

According to Rescue 1122, two specialised water rescue teams, consisting of 12 rescuers and five emergency vehicles, participated in the operation. The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) also assisted in the search. Despite the extensive effort, no trace of the child was found before the operation was temporarily suspended after sunset due to poor visibility. Officials said the search would resume the following morning.

Speaking to the media, Hareem’s father said he immediately searched nearby streets and questioned security personnel and relatives after discovering that his daughter was missing. He told police that the street was submerged under approximately one foot of rainwater at the time of the incident, leaving uncertainty over whether the child had been swept away or abducted.

Following the unsuccessful search, relatives and local residents staged a protest at Bohar Bazaar Chowk, demanding intensified efforts to recover the missing girl. The demonstration continued for more than an hour before police assured protesters that every available resource would be used to continue both the investigation and the search operation.

Waris Khan Police subsequently registered a First Information Report (FIR) under Section 363 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which relates to kidnapping. Authorities say both rescue operations and the criminal investigation remain ongoing as efforts continue to locate the missing child.