MIRPURKHAS: Police have recovered three schoolgirls from Mirpurkhas after they were reported missing from Mehar in Sindh’s Dadu district. The girls were presented before a local court on Monday.
The students — Anzeela Panhwar, Fatima Janwari and Roshni Thebo — had allegedly disappeared after leaving for school, prompting their families to lodge missing persons reports with police.
Police also detained Zain Mehar, who was initially accused of abducting the girls, and sought his physical remand before the court.
However, counsel representing the girls told the court that the students had travelled voluntarily to Hyderabad to visit a shrine before later staying at a friend’s residence in Mirpurkhas, arguing that no abduction had taken place.
The court ordered that the girls be housed at a safe house until further proceedings and postponed the case until Tuesday, when their statements will be recorded under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
The judge also directed that Zain Mehar remain in police custody and instructed the investigating officer to submit a progress report at the next hearing. During the proceedings, the girls were allowed to briefly meet their parents.
According to SSP Dadu Captain (Retired) Saddam Hussain Khaskheli, initial investigations indicate that Roshni Thebo and Zain Mehar had been communicating through TikTok for nearly four years. He said Roshni allegedly left home with the consent of her two friends after her family reportedly declined a marriage proposal, adding that the investigation would continue in line with the court’s orders.
