Father of abandoned girl held

He was wanted in connection with multiple criminal cases

The father of a three- yearold girl who was allegedly abused and then abandoned at a Sharjah hospital has been arrested, police said yesterday.

The Emirati man, in his 40s, was arrested at a resort in Fujairah after his relatives tipped off the police, who had urged people with information about the girl to come forward.

Amnah was found abandoned at Kuwaiti Hospital in the early hours of Saturday, with no details about her parents’ whereabouts.

She was found with burn and bruise marks. Police suspect she was tortured by her father. The man is wanted in a number of emirates in connection with multiple criminal cases, police said.

Amnah, meanwhile, was placed with a social care centre and will be reunited with her family soon, an official at the centre told

“Amnah’s keeping well. She’s happy — playing and eating with other children at the centre,” the official added.

When asked about her moth- er, Amnah said: “My mother went to doctor and she’ll be coming back.”

According to police, Amnah has no identification papers as her father didn’t make arrangements for her documents. Her mother is said to be an illegal resident from Ethiopia who has reportedly left the UAE.

The father has children from a second wife and was allegedly neglecting and abusing Amnah, initial police investigations indicate. He is alleged to have threatened Amnah with abandonment previously, based on his reported statement to police. Tests are being carried out to prove the man in custody is Amnah’s father, police said, as investigations continue.