Mandilakhe Tshwete

Emaan Fatima who was allegedly abducted while walking home from school has been returned after her parents paid a ransom.

The nine-year-old was walking from Dreamland Primary School, Buffalo Flats in East London on 4 February when she was snatched by unknown men in a Toyota Corolla.

A video with the visibly scared Emaan surfaced on the internet and was widely shared until it reached her devastated father.

She was set free as the Pakistani and local community planned an awareness march in front of the girl’s school on Wednesday morning.

“Come and get me please, I don’t want to stay here anymore,” the little girl said.

Pakistan South Africa Association East London general secretary Zaheer Iqbal said: “Thanks so much to all communities, Emaan Fatima has returned back home safely on Wednesday morning. We appreciate your efforts, you stood up in unity for the return of the young girl. Thank God!

“Emaan was returned after her parents paid a ransom.”

Iqbal said Emaan was not the first child who was taken by kidnappers.

“This is the second child who was kidnapped. Another child was taken last month in Dimbaza and was set free after R200,000 was paid, although the initial demand was R1 million.

“The child led the police to where he was held but no one was arrested.”

A family friend said: “Emaan lives across the street from my home and was grabbed as she walked with her brother.

“Her father has a grocery shop and also owns the school.

“We don’t know what they wanted from the parents.”

She said the 9-year-old’s parents were very devastated.

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za