Accessibility options

Sahil back with 'overjoyed' family

Date: 19/3/2010 19:09:18

Search: Pakistan kidnap boy home

Exhausted Sahil Saeed is enjoying his first full day back home since being freed from his two week kidnap ordeal in Pakistan.

The five-year-old arrived back in Oldham, Greater Manchester, with his father Raja Naqqash Saeed on Thursday night to a rapturous reception from relatives.

A home-made banner saying "Welcome Sahil" hung from windows outside the terraced house, with steel barriers surrounding the property to keep back dozens of reporters, photographers and TV crews.

Sahil made a brief appearance after his arrival, hiding his face from waiting media as he was held in his mother Akila Naqqash's arms outside the home.

His aunt Naila Wasseem and great-uncle Mushtaq Raja said the family was "overjoyed" to have him back. Relatives dashed in and out of the house, bringing food in big steel pans for the celebrations.

Ms Wasseem said: "We are ecstatic, everybody is over the moon. Everybody, for 13 days, all we have done is non-stop praying. Now the mood's totally changed."

Sahil's great-uncle added: "They (Sahil's parents) wanted to cry - when you are so happy, you had lost your son, then he appears before your eyes - you can't imagine how emotional it is. The boy is very tired."

Advertisement starts


Advertisement

Advertisement ends

The schoolboy was snatched on March 4 by gunmen during a holiday in Pakistan with his father and other relatives.

An international police operation was launched and Mr Saeed went to Paris, at the kidnappers' request, to hand over a £110,000 ransom to secure his son's release. The boy was freed on Tuesday, and found wandering in a field.

Three people - two Pakistani men and a Romanian woman - were arrested in Spain after police followed two of them from the French capital. All three appeared in court in Spain on Thursday where they were remanded in custody charged with kidnapping a minor.

2012 © Press Association

Advertisement starts



Advertisement ends

Advertisement starts


Advertisement

Advertisement ends

  • Harry hails Everest war veterans
    Harry hails Everest war veterans
    The charity Walking with the Wounded launched the ambitious project today to put five war-wounded men on the mountain's summit as Harry agreed to be the expedition's patron. The royal even clambered into an altitude chamber at an event staged in c
  • Ancient Egypt in Edinburgh
    Ancient Egypt in Edinburgh
    Henrietta Lidchi, keeper of world cultures at the museum, says people have allways been fascinated by mummies and visitors will be guided through rituals of death and the afterlife in ancient Egypt, with painted coffins and embalming equipment on display.
  • Robshaw: Focus is on us
    Robshaw: Focus is on us
    England captain Chris Robshaw believes the team should focus on their own game rather than worry about the opposition.
  • Tulisa goes solo
    Tulisa goes solo
    Tulisa discusses her debut solo album and rooting for Adele at the Grammy Awards as she attends a pre-Grammy party held by Belvedere vodka and RED.
arrow
Harry hails Everest war veterans
The charity Walking with the Wounded launched the ambitious project today to put five war-wounded men on the mountain's summit as Harry agreed to be the expedition's patron. The royal even clambered into an altitude chamber at an event staged in c

5 day forecastMy local weather

Cloudy
London
min: -2º
max:3º
 
 

Daily Pictures



Advertisement starts



Advertisement ends

Page Footer


Access keys


You will need to use different key combinations in order to use access keys depending on your internet browser, find out which on our accessibility page.
  • (0) Navigate to Accessibility page.
  • (1) Navigate to Home page.
  • (2) Navigate to My email.
  • (3) Navigate to My Account.
  • (4) Navigate to Site Map page.
  • (5) Navigate to Contact us page.
  • (6) Navigate to Members channel.
  • (7) Navigate to Services channel.
  • (8) Navigate to News & Info channel.
  • (9) Navigate to Entertainment channel.
  • ([) Skip down to the Primary navigation block.
  • (]) Skip down to the more links within this section block.
  • (=) Bypass all navigation and jump to the content.
  • (x) Text only version of this page.