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British boy, 5, snatched in Pakistan

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Reports: Five-year-old snatched by armed robbers while on holiday with his family in Punjab
  • The boy's father says the kidnappers are demanding a $150,000 ransom, reports say
  • UK Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed "a British boy had been abducted"
RELATED TOPICS
  • Pakistan
  • Punjab

London, England (CNN) -- A British boy has been abducted in Pakistan, authorities confirmed Thursday.

According to British media reports, the child, identified as five-year-old Sahil Saeed, from Oldham in northern England, was snatched by armed robbers while on holiday with his family.

His father, Raja Naqqash Saeed, said the kidnappers are demanding a £100,000 ($150,000) ransom for his safe return, according to Britain's Press Association.

"They took my son," he said. "They were fully loaded with guns and hand grenades. All Pakistan police know about this, and the British Council."

However, British authorities refused to confirm the reports.

"Consular staff in Islamabad are in contact with the family and providing assistance," spokesperson for Britain's Foreign Office told CNN.

"We are working closely with the Pakistani authorities, who are in the lead on the investigation, to ascertain the full facts of the situation and help secure a safe and swift release."

The child's mother, who remained back in England, told Sky News her son was snatched by four robbers who struck at a house in the eastern province of Punjab, where he was staying with his father and relatives.

"My sister-in-law came round this morning and told me he'd been kidnapped," she said. Asked if she knows why he was taken, she replied tearfully, "I know nothing... all I know is that they took him. They were all supposed to be flying back today."