Police are on the search for a father who abducted his three sons from a foster home.

After carrying out the task in a secretive manner, he then decided to smuggle them out of the United Kingdom, in the back of a van.

According to reports, the police are baffled at how the father carried out the abduction and smuggling attempt with such ease.

26-year-old Imran Safi snatched his three sons from a southern London foster home. The three children include 6-year-old Bilal, 5-year-old Ebrar, and 3-year-old Yaseen. Moreover, the timing was on point as these boys were ready to go to another family for adoption.

The father entered, grabbed his kids, and made a run for it in his red-colored Nissan vehicle. While the incident took place on August 30th, officials are still carrying out investigations regarding the case.

Today, detectives are pinpointing how the father possibly received assistance in the form of support from his relatives. At the same time, they believe the relatives helped him avoid the police so he could smuggle them from the country.

Ever since the incident took place, police arrested at least 16 people in connection with the kidnapping. Surprisingly, this includes his wife, 25-year-old Lubna.

Just this weekend, the father’s brother in law denied any such claims relating to the incident. According to him, the family had no idea of his motives. Moreover, they claim that they haven’t seen or heard from him since the morning of the kidnapping.

The family goes on claiming how the father left in a rush, saying something rather bizarre. “Look after yourselves and look after Lubna.” They were baffled with this line and didn’t know why he left saying it.

On the other hand, the sudden disappearance of the 3 boys is sparking a major investigation. In total, authorities confirm how over 100 offices are participating in the recovery operation.

The father, Safi, is originally from Afghanistan. Police confirm how he threatened the boys’ foster carer with a knife. This incident took place, right before he abducted the kids into his red car, driving off.