On Tuesday, a mentally challenged former policeman, missing since 2016, was discovered begging at Tahli Mohri Chowk, leading to an emotional reunion with his mother. After being alerted by her son’s friend, Shaheen Akhtar identified her son in a picture shared by the friend, showing him begging with a gang. The police, upon reuniting the family, detained four members of the beggars’ gang, including three women, and initiated an investigation to locate their associates.
Mustakeem Khalid, the missing man, had suffered torture and injections during his captivity by the beggars’ gang. Married in 2006, he was unable to continue his police service due to typhoid fever, which impacted his mental health and eventually led to his disappearance in 2016. Despite previous instances of leaving home due to his mental disorder, Khalid did not return in 2016.
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Shaheen Akhtar, residing in Kallar Syedan, had not sought police help when her son went missing but lodged an FIR after recognizing him in Tahli Mohri. The FIR mentioned that Khalid was abducted, incapacitated, and forced to beg by the gang. While reuniting with her son, Akhtar faced physical abuse from the gang members.
The gang, consisting of three women and two men from Shikarpur, was compelling Khalid to beg. Zahid and Wahid, two male members, managed to escape during the reunion. Wahid, identified as the gang leader, was later arrested, along with three women. Police efforts were ongoing to apprehend the remaining gang members and bring them to justice.
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