Pakistan kidnap boy not released, says Foreign Office

Sahil Saeed was taken following a raid on his grandmother's home

A five-year-old boy from the UK who was kidnapped in Pakistan last week has not been released, authorities in Pakistan have told the Foreign Office.

Reports from Pakistan earlier suggested Sahil Saeed, from Oldham in Greater Manchester, had been freed on Wednesday but police told the BBC it was untrue.

The Foreign Office said it had received confirmation Pakistani police were still investigating his disappearance.

The boy was seized by an armed gang in Punjab while staying with relatives.

A Punjab minister had been reported as saying the boy had been found and handed over to his father.

However Kahlid Mahmoud, superintendent of the police investigation in Jhelum, told the BBC the reports were false.

'Closing in'

And Muhammad Aslam Tareen, a detective based in Punjab, said he could "categorically confirm" the child was still missing.

Mr Tareen said: "We are closing in, yes. But have we found him yet? No. We hope to have something in the next 24 to 48 hours."

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We have confirmation from the Pakistani authorities that Sahil has not been released. Police in Pakistan are still investigating.

"We continue to provide consular assistance to Sahil's family."

Pakistan's High Commissioner to the UK, Wajid Hasan, told the BBC he was attempting to clarify the situation back in Pakistan.

On Wednesday the BBC learned Sahil's father Raja Saeed had returned to the UK against the wishes of Pakistani police.

Sahil had been taken from his grandmother's home in Jhelum, Punjab, as he prepared to take a taxi to the airport for his flight to the UK.

Mother's pleas

Several men, including a taxi driver, have been arrested since the kidnap.

Four police officers were suspended after it emerged they did not initially respond to the family's emergency call.

On Saturday, Sahil's mother Akila Naqqas pleaded for his safe return, saying she would forgive his son's captors if they released him.

She also said Sahil had never been apart from either herself or her husband.

The attackers are said to have demanded a £100,000 ($150,410) ransom for his return.

Pakistani community groups in Oldham have said they are considering setting up a fund to pay ransoms in the event of kidnaps.

The UK government has a policy of not paying ransoms and advises third parties against doing so, arguing that this would encourage future kidnappings.

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Sahil's father has returned to the UK against the wishes of Pakistani police