The family of eight-year-old Abirah Dekhta, who was abducted in front of her primary school in Rylands, has announced that she has been found.
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According to News24 the family spokesperson Miya Ramzan confirmed that Dekhta was found by the police this evening on 14 November 2022.
SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed the child was found in Khayelitsha and is currently going through medical examinations before being reunited with her family.
Dekhta had been missing since 4 November and her community and family had been searching for her.
SAPS are yet to apprehend the kidnappers as the investigation is still ongoing.
Speaking to IOL yesterday, the eight-year-old’s father, Aslam Dekhta, said that he was overcome with joy when he was reunited with Abirah
“I was crying,” he said. “I couldn’t control my emotions. When she arrived, all she said was ‘Papa’.”
The relieved father said that the suspects had not mistreated his daughter and that he was thrilled that she had come through the ordeal.
“They looked after her well. They gave her food and could go to the bathroom whenever she wanted to go. They even gave her one bucket to take a bath. She said it was very bad conditions. She said two or three times, it was very dirty,” he told IOL.
“She said she ate KFC burgers, McDonald’s and sometimes they just give their food, the chicken. She said she didn’t like it.”
According to Dekhta, the family had received ransom demands but he was not willing to disclose the amount.
“They (kidnappers) called two or three times, threatening me, saying, ‘we’re going to do this with your child’. They said they’re going to cut her finger, and they’re going to sell her somewhere.”
“Not even one cent was paid because of the rescue by police officers.”
He said that while his daughter appeared unscathed, he was unsure whether she had suffered any psychological damage from her ordeal, adding that his daughter had been blindfolded and was unable to identify her kidnappers.
“She doesn’t know (who the kidnappers are). They didn’t come much in front of her much. When they gave her food, one guy would come. If she asked for something, they gave it.”
More details to follow.
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Picture: Twitter