Robbers kidnap 5 year-old British boy in Pakistan, demand large ransom

Robbers kidnap 5 year-old British boy in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD — Robbers kidnapped a 5-year-old British boy from a house in central Pakistan on Thursday and demanded a large ransom for his return, according to British officials and the boy’s family.

The robbers entered the house late Wednesday night in Jhelum city in Punjab province and terrorized the family for several hours before leaving with the boy, whose father is Pakistani, said George Sherriff, the press attache at the British High Commission in Islamabad.

“The kidnappers held the family at gunpoint overnight and left with household possessions as well as taking the boy with them,” Sherriff said.

British officials have been in touch with the boy’s parents, who had been scheduled to return to Britain on Thursday.

The boy’s father, Raja Naqqash Saeed, told Sky News that the kidnappers have demanded 100,000 British pounds ($150,000) for the boy’s return.

“I told them I don’t have that much money. … I can’t afford that,” Saeed said.

Kidnappings have risen in Pakistan in recent years, driven by a foundering economy that leads more people to crime and the overall erosion of security as the country faces a violent Islamist insurgency.

Criminals are suspected in most kidnappings, but the Taliban and other militant groups are thought to earn a slice of the money. The sums demanded can run into the millions of dollars, though the captors often settle for less.

The British boy’s mother made an emotional televised appeal for his safe return.

“I just want my son back safe,” Akila Naqqash told Sky as tears ran down her cheeks. “He’s a 5-year-old boy. What has he done?”