A new report has flagged the repeated involvement of Pakistani nationals in international kidnapping cases across multiple countries, calling for holistic global scrutiny and coordinated international action. The report, published by the Sri Lanka-based Daily Mirror, notes that Pakistani nationals reportedly account for the largest nationality group among kidnappers worldwide, with Indians emerging as the most frequently targeted victims.

Countries Where Cases Have Been Reported

Pakistani nationals have been implicated in abduction cases across a broad geography — including Cambodia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Turkey, Greece, Thailand, and South Africa. In the most recent case, Ethiopian police arrested three Pakistani nationals on charges of kidnapping Indian and Bangladeshi nationals, with kidnappers allegedly demanding between ETB 15 billion and ETB 30 billion from victims' families.

In August 2025, Pakistani citizens reportedly played a central role in the abduction of Indian nationals in Kenya, with five of the accused identified as Pakistani nationals who targeted Indians shortly after their arrival in the country. Separately, Thailand police linked Pakistani nationals to the kidnapping of five Indian nationals for a ransom of INR four million. Similar incidents have been reported in Cambodia and Turkey.

Cases in Africa and Europe

In South Africa, police arrested two Pakistani nationals for abducting a Pakistani businessman. In Nigeria, Pakistani kidnappers allegedly lured a victim using a fraudulent job offer — a tactic that has emerged as a recurring method in several jurisdictions. In 2015, four Pakistani nationals were arrested in Greece on suspicion of abduction and demanding EUR 5,000 from a victim's family. Additionally, two Pakistani nationals were arrested following the abduction of a Bangladeshi businessman in Cape Town, according to the report.

US Case: Shahzad Hameedi Charged

In September 2025, a naturalised United States citizen of Pakistani origin, Shahzad Hameedi, 46, residing in Wayne County, Michigan, was charged with attempted kidnapping of a minor child by federal authorities. The criminal complaint, unsealed by US Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. alongside Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Stentz of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Detroit, alleged that Hameedi had begun dating a single mother in Windsor, Canada, under the alternate name Sheraz Hameed. After the mother restricted his access to her child, he allegedly attempted to cross the border, break into her home at night, and forcibly abduct the child in June 2025.

'The defendant's alleged plan to kidnap a young child by sneaking across the border and entering Canada, breaking into a mother's home at night, strangling her and then assaulting her innocent, young child two days later is diabolical. No parent or child should ever be subjected to this wickedness. We will bring the full force of the law against violent predators,' US Attorney Gorgon said.

Report's Findings and Call for Action

'The repeated appearance of Pakistani nationals in international kidnapping cases does warrant scrutiny. This is all the more concerning because the suspects are from Pakistan, which is alleged to be the source of the largest group of criminals and militants,' the Daily Mirror report stated. It further noted that Pakistan already faces significant scrutiny from the international community over terrorism and cross-border militancy, making the kidnapping pattern an additional dimension of concern.

The report called for international cooperation to dismantle cross-border kidnapping networks, arguing that the Pakistan government should be compelled to take serious action. Notably, the report underscores that Indians — already the largest group of victims of Pakistan-based terrorist violence — are disproportionately targeted in these kidnapping cases abroad as well, suggesting a pattern that extends beyond isolated criminal activity. How the international community responds to this evidence-backed pattern could define the next phase of pressure on Islamabad.