Last Updated on November 1, 2026 by YeJahan
YEJAHAN DESK
LOWER DIR (NOV 1) — Police in Upper Dir have arrested five out of six suspects in connection with the alleged abduction, assault, and intimidation of a teenage boy, following the widespread circulation of a video of the incident on social media, officials confirmed on Sunday.
Wari Circle Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Fakhr-i-Alam confirmed the apprehensions, which followed the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) on October 30. The incident itself took place on October 25 in the Shinkarai area, according to police documents.
The case has been registered under several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including Section 364-A (kidnapping or abducting an underage person), Section 342 (wrongful confinement), Section 506 (criminal intimidation), Section 147 (rioting), and Section 149 (unlawful assembly).
According to the complainant’s statement detailed in the FIR, the teenager was lured to a specific location by a friend. Upon arrival, he was forced into a vehicle by two men—including an unidentified individual described as a tehsildar—and driven to an under-construction house in Shinkarai.
The victim alleged that he was held captive in a room for approximately three hours. During the ordeal, two individuals recorded the assault on mobile phones, while others subjected him to physical violence, delivering blows with punches, kicks, and sticks. The boy stated that the assault resulted in severe injuries across his body, including his arms and shin.
The complainant further noted that the dispute appeared to stem from recent WhatsApp conversations among a group of friends. The delay in reporting the matter to law enforcement was attributed to explicit death threats from the suspects, who warned that the recorded footage would be publicized if the victim approached the authorities. The subsequent leak of the video on social media networks ultimately prompted police intervention.
While law enforcement has initiated a formal investigation to apprehend the remaining suspect, the specific allegations contained in the FIR have not been independently verified.
The incident highlights a persistent challenge regarding child safety in the country. National data compiled by the child protection non-governmental organization Sahil indicates that at least 558 cases of child abduction were reported across Pakistan in the first six months of 2026 alone. The Upper Dir case follows similar recent enforcement actions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including the arrest of a suspect in Charsadda earlier this month for the assault of a five-year-old boy, and an August operation in Mansehra involving the alleged assault of a nine-year-old.
Copyright YeJahan News Network, 2026
