An alert for a young boy who has been missing since Sunday morning. The child, Mohammed Tariq, who lives with a guardian in Colita, is believed to have been abducted by his father.

A WhatsApp message notified members of the Forderville sub-forum of the Community Police Forum (CPF) that they should be on the look-out for the young boy who is a primary scholar aged between 10 and 11.

Chairperson of this sub-forum Mohammed Ismail, after being unable to reach the family via the cellphone number supplied visited the guardian in Colita. He reported that the guardian, who has been looking after the child for more than four years after his young mother passed away, believes that the child’s father has again ‘abducted’ the child.

It is alleged that the father may have bribed the child with cash to trick him into going to another town. The father is reportedly drug-dependent and uses the child to “beg for money to support his habit.”

Mohammed Tariq has allegedly been taken away by his father on previous occasions. He was last seen wearing a blue jacket and black pants on Sunday morning.

“According to the family, the child was last seen on Sunday in Pietermaritzburg,” said Mr Ismail.

The guardian had not reported the child missing by Monday at noon and Mr Ismail appealed to them to do so. Attempts to contact the guardian on Monday were unsuccessful, as the number goes to voicemail.

If you have information about Mohammed Tariq’s whereabouts, please contact the guardian on 060 924 4556 or the Estcourt police on 036 342 9525.