Conspiracy theorists have been terrorizing the father of a four-year-old Afghani girl who vanished without a trace in Texas over six months ago, claiming he sold her as a child bride.
Lina Sarder Khil vanished from a San Antonio apartment complex playground in December. Her disappearance is being investigated as a missing person case, and no suspects have been identified.
Although the search for her has been put on hold indefinitely, the San Antonio Police Department stated it was still following up on tips and that the case was still active.
Lina’s father, Riaz Sardar Khil, 27, alleged at the time of her abduction that his pregnant wife was watching her when she walked over to a nearby trail and vanished.
Her mother assumed she had returned to the family’s Villa Del Cabo residence at first.
Khil told DailyMail.com on Tuesday, through a translator, that both his daughter’s disappearance and the hateful internet remarks aimed at them had crushed him and his wife Varmina.
‘Every time I open Facebook or other social media, I see hateful messages and accusations that say things like, ‘I sold my daughter to be a child bride;’ ‘I sent her back to Afghanistan;’ ‘I abducted her,’ or’my wife did something to our daughter and I am covering up for her,” he said in Pashto through translator Lawang Mangal.
‘These are all wrong, and they’re all wrong about me,’ he added. All of these bogus accusations make me miserable, and I’m terrified that someone may hurt me or my family.’
Lina and her family fled Afghanistan in 2019 and settled in the United States. When the Taliban retook control of the country, her father supported American troops in the country, and the family was transferred to the United States as refugees.
Khil told DailyMail.com that he has been stalked since his daughter vanished, and the internet vitriol has taken a toll on him and his wife, who no longer feel comfortable in San Antonio.
He said that he was nearly assaulted by a nasty stranger in the parking lot when he arrived home from work recently. He claimed that his neighbors defended him, and that the individual who attempted to attack him was an outsider who was not a member of his Afghan group.
Conspiracy theorists have alleged that Khil’s daughter was kidnapped from him in revenge for his work for US forces in Afghanistan, according to Khil.
‘I came to the United States with high hopes for a bright future, but all of my hopes have now been dashed. ‘The United States was not what I expected,’ he added.
‘Propaganda is being organized ahead of time. In Afghanistan, there is no such thing as propaganda or conspiracy theories.’
Khil said that he has been stalked since his daughter vanished, and the internet vitriol has taken a toll on him and his wife, who no longer feel comfortable in San Antonio.
He said that he was nearly assaulted by a nasty stranger in the parking lot when he arrived home from work recently. He claimed that his neighbors defended him, and that the individual who attempted to attack him was an outsider who was not a member of his Afghan group.
Conspiracy theorists have alleged that Khil’s daughter was kidnapped from him in revenge for his work for US forces in Afghanistan, according to Khil.
‘I came to the United States with high hopes for a bright future, but all of my hopes have now been dashed. ‘The United States was not what I expected,’ he added.
‘Propaganda is being organized ahead of time. In Afghanistan, there is no such thing as propaganda or conspiracy theories.’
He said that kidnappings of children were uncommon in Afghanistan, and that if a child went missing, it was usually for ransom. When a child runs away on occasion, they are usually found safe. In the most extreme circumstances, a kid is sold because the family is so impoverished.
Khil also has a two-and-a-half-year-old son named Rayhan, and on Saturday, his wife gave birth to a baby boy named Saud, making him a father for the third time.
The delights of having a new boy have been clouded by the abduction of his only daughter and eldest kid.
‘We are overjoyed to have a new baby at home, but we are really concerned about our children’s future after losing Lina,’ Khil explained.
When he isn’t looking for his daughter, he works as an Amazon and Uber delivery driver to support his family. He also expressed his dissatisfaction with the police response.
‘We are being kept in the dark about what is going on.’ They say the same thing every time I call. He stated, “I don’t believe they are working on the matter.” ‘We don’t have any leads.’ Nothing.’
Pam Allen, the CEO of Eagles Flight Advocacy and Outreach, who has worked with the Khil family since 2009, has been involved in assisting Afghan refugees.
She believes the family is being treated unfairly because they are refugees, according to DailyMail.com.
‘It would be completely different if this was an American family,’ she said. ‘The family is kept in the dark by the police and the FBI. Lina’s parents were unaware that divers were scouring a creek the week she went missing. They learned about it through social media.’
According to Allen, a prayer vigil was organized at the Mosque on January 29.
‘The Mayor of San Antonio was in attendance and advised residents to remain watchful. Lina was “San Antonio’s child,” he said, but she added, “On the opposite side of that attitude are some absolutely horrible answers to this family’s grief.”
‘This isn’t a shared experience. Every day, this child’s family goes to bed and wakes up with this trauma. ‘No one from law enforcement contacted the family,’ Allen added.
‘San Antonio’s youngster appears to have been forgotten,’ she continued.
Because the harassment had gotten so extreme, Allen claimed she had to call off the last two searches for Lina.
She claimed her husband hired a bodyguard the previous time they looked because he was worried about Allen’s safety.
‘There are people who accompany us on these hunts and video us, take pictures of us, and make up different scenarios,’ she explained. ‘It’s horrible and unconscionable, and people are paying attention to it.’
She also said that the family has had random people posing as psychics knock on their door.
His daughter was at the coast, according to a psychic. Others claimed Lina was being held in a storage unit and an RV parking lot, and shared images of the locations.
According to Allen, a man from Jordan stated Lina was in California.
‘Listening to it was heartbreaking, but then realizing it wasn’t true,’ Allen added.
‘Psychic activity became very forceful,’ Allen explained. ‘My Facebook account was hacked, and trespassers came to attack my son’s family.’ My mother’s house was on the verge of being raided. Lawang [the translator] was unable to leave his home with his family. For going to Riaz’s house, one man had to be detained.’
‘These stalkers and haters have caused a lot of disruption for us and law enforcement,’ she continued. I needed to employ a lawyer and a private eye. We’ve got to work quietly since there are so many people who want to help.’
Jennifer Saucedo Rodriguez, the public information officer for the San Antonio Police Department, told DailyMail.com that the investigation into Lina’s disappearance is still ongoing and that tips are still being investigated.
‘Lina is still listed as a missing person because no crime was ever committed against her. A preliminary search on the night of her disappearance did not turn up any evidence of her in the places she is known to frequent or within her safety zone,’ she said.
‘The first fear was of a stranger abduction, which is why the search was broadened to the extent that it was. As a result of the extended scope, a huge amount of data was acquired through interviews, CCTV coverage of the region, and other means.
She stated that SVU and the FBI will not stop investigating until all leads have been exhausted.
Lina had been playing with other children at the family’s apartment complex’s playground in San Antonio on the day she vanished. Lina’s mother had been away for a few minutes at the time and then vanished.
She was reported missing an hour later, and police officers searched the neighborhood of over 300 refugees door to door.
On foot, uniformed officers with K9 teams combed through distant woodland regions and steep terrain, while scuba divers looked for clues in adjacent lakes.
Lina turned four years old on February 20. The family celebrated their daughter’s birthday in their apartment, hoping and praying that they would see her again.
According to DailyMail.com, Khil believes his daughter has been kidnapped and is no longer in the United States. He dismisses any of the accusations that a member of his family may have kidnapped Lina. ‘That is not conceivable,’ he responded.
He hasn’t given up hope that she will be discovered. The family began working with Abel Pena, a private investigator who also operates a nonprofit, three months ago.
Every month on the 20th, Allen added, they conduct a vigil for Lina in various sites, including the church, the local mosque, and their home.
The vigil, which is set on Monday, June 20, will be held at the family’s apartment, in part because of Lina’s new baby brother, whom the family hopes she will meet one day.
Since the terrifying event, the community has tried to be supportive, praying for Lina’s safe return.
The Islamic Center of San Antonio boosted their prize for her safe return from $10,000 to $250,000 in February, but no one has yet stepped forward.
The father, who is sad, has stated that he would not leave San Antonio until his daughter has been located.
‘I adore my kid. She is my firstborn and a special portion of my heart. I’m not going to give up until I find her.’