The hunt for kidnapped kids using ‘Find My iPhone’ app: Thief steals car with three children in back… before their father helps police to find them by tracking wife’s mobile left in vehicle
- Father-of-three described how his small children were ‘kidnapped’ by a car thief
- Zahid Nazir’s children were sat in the back of the stolen black Mercedes A Class
- He flagged down police car and officers found children unhurt in dumped car
- Manchester Police said no arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing
A father-of-three whose small children were ‘kidnapped’ by a car thief as they sat in the back of his stolen black Mercedes A Class has revealed he helped police track them down by using the Find My iPhone app.
Zahid Nazir, 37, had returned from a wedding on July 27 and left his children inside the car ‘for seconds’ outside their home in Bolton, Greater Manchester to speak to his wife Sabahat when the terrifying incident occurred.
Shocking CCTV footage shows an unidentified man skulking around the corner before entering the driver’s seat and speeding away.
The father-of-three can be seen sprinting off down the road after the car containing his children – Khadlijah, eight, Muhammad Ahad, seven, and 10-month-old Ayesha – before losing his balance and falling over.
Mr Nazir got into his wife’s car and although he was not able to find his kids, he drove past a police officer and hailed him over to help with the search.
After entering the police car he realised Sabahat’s phone was still in the stolen Mercedes so he could use the Find My iPhone app to locate the device and his children. Twenty minutes later, Mr Nazir heard that police had found his children unhurt, along with the dumped car.
Muhammad Ahad, seven, Ayesha, 10 months, Zahid Nazir, 37, and Khadlijah, eight
Shocking CCTV footage shows an unidentified man skulking around the corner before entering the driver’s seat and speeding away
A mortified father-of-three has described how his small children were ‘kidnapped’ by a car thief as they sat in the back of his stolen black Mercedes A Class
The father-of-three can be seen clocking what happened and sprinting off down the road after his children – Khadlijah, eight, Muhammad Ahad, seven and ten-month-old Ayesha – before losing his balance and falling over
Zahid Nazir helped police track down his ‘kidnapped’ children using the Find My iPhone app.
The service allows users to track their lost iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch.
All devices are displayed on a map, and users can zoom in or out to get a better picture of their location.
In this case, Mr Nazir had synced his device with his wife Sabahat’s phone, which had been left in his stolen Mercedes.
Mr Nazir said they were physically OK and ‘fine’ on the night, but that since then they have struggled to sleep in the house due to fear of intruders.
He added: ‘I couldn’t believe it when I turned around and saw the car driving away, I was in total shock. I barely had time to think when I just ran off after the car, I knew I had to try and stop whoever was taking my children away.
‘After that, I felt very panicked and worried about what had happened, I didn’t understand what was going on. Eventually I was reunited with them, which was a really emotional moment. I was so happy they were okay.’
Mr Nazir explained the incident happened at around 2.45am after the family had returned home from a family wedding.
He said that he parked on the road outside their house and briefly exited the car to speak to Sabahat, arriving in another vehicle, when his children were taken.
Mr Nazir and a number of officers searched for around 20 minutes before Khadlijah, Muhammad Ahad and baby Ayesha were found on a quiet country road.
He believes the thief was unaware of the children when he entered the Mercedes and that is why it was abandoned.
‘When I saw my kids I just started crying,’ he said.
‘I didn’t even run to them to begin with, I just cried. I felt so happy and relieved that they were with me again and had not been hurt.’
Mr Nazir, who lives with his three children and Sabahat, said the family are scared to remain in the same house in the wake of what happened.
He added: ‘We spent a few night’s at someone else’s house because it was too scary to stay here. I’ve even thought about selling the house and the car to try and keep everyone safe, it’s a horrible situation to be in.’
Mr Nazir said they were physically OK and ‘fine’ on the night, but that since then they have struggled to sleep in the house due to fear of intruders
He believes the thief was unaware of the children when he entered the Mercedes and that is why it was abandoned
Though the incident was captured on CCTV, Greater Manchester Police have not made any arrests but they say enquiries are ongoing
Despite his fear, Mr Nazir does not believe the thief knew the children were inside the car when he stole it and that that is why the car was abandoned.
Though the incident was captured on CCTV, Greater Manchester Police have not made any arrests but they say enquiries are ongoing.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman told MailOnline: ‘On July 27 police were called to a report of an attempted car theft. Enquiries have established a man entered and drove off with the vehicle after it was stationary by the side of the road.
‘The car was also occupied by three children who remained inside throughout.
‘The car was driven off and abandoned shortly after. Upon police arrival, the children present in the vehicle were returned safely to their parents. There were no injuries.’
DCI Paul Rollinson said: ‘This is a shocking incident and the family are being supported by specialist officers. We want to reassure the public that our enquiries indicate this is an isolated incident of an intended theft.
‘We’re now appealing as someone may have information that may be able to assist us with our on-going investigation. Anyone who may have seen anything, has any information or has dash cam footage is asked to contact us.’
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