Six-year-old Shanawaaz Asghar is still in the company of his abductors more than a day after he was forcibly taken from his mother and siblings in Kensington, Cape Town.
What happened to Shanawaaz Asghar?
As every second ticks by with no updates on the whereabouts and condition of the six-year-old boy, his parents struggle to come to terms with the nightmare that unfolded near their home in the community situated in the southern suburbs of Cape Town.
As reported by IOL News, Asghar was walking to school with his two siblings and mother, Shumaila, at approximately 08:00 on Wednesday when, at the corners of 4th Avenue and 9th Street, the family was accosted by six men.
According to Shumaila’s account of events, everything happened so quickly. She recalled six men jumping out of a silver vehicle, three of whom were armed. While it’s unclear if the mother sustained injuries during the scuffle, it seems pretty clear that the abductors had their sights on Shanawaaz.
The six-year-old was shoved into the vehicle, and the abductors sped off, only a few yards away from his school.
At the time this article was published, Shanawaaz had been missing for 26 hours with no word heard from the abductors.
What we know so far about the abductors
In a statement, Cape Town police spokesperson Captain Andre Traut confirmed authorities have maximised resources to widen the search for the six-year-old. At this time, however, not much has been revealed about the leads police are following.
“Due to the sensitive nature of our investigation, we will not be disclosing any further information,” the police statement read.
From what we understand, Cape Town police will be looking into Shanawaaz’s family background to ascertain if there is anyone who’d want to cause them harm. It also remains unclear if this is a ransom-based kidnapping since, more than a day later, no calls have come from the abductors.
While the suspects have yet to be identified, police could be helped by tracking down the vehicle that was used to kidnap Shanawaaz. This image was taken by home CCTV cameras in the neighbourhood shortly before the six-year-old was abducted.
The Asghar family has since pleaded with Kensington residents to send in CCTV footage, if any exists, to authorities for further processing. This could go a long way in helping authorities map out the abductors’ movements and trace the whereabouts of Shanawaaz.
“We urging the public, anyone with cameras in the area, to please help find this boy,” the family urged.
This is a developing story.