A two-year-old who was shot in the head by an AIR RIFLE was saved – by her thick HAIR.
Little Noorsadia Akhter was left with a pellet embedded in her forehead after being shot by an airgun sniper who fired at her while she was in her PUSHCHAIR.
Her relieved family believe she was saved by her thick hair, which took the force of the pellet before it struck her face.
Noorsadia was rushed to hospital after the attack but thankfully is now recovering at home in Bradford, West Yorks.
Mum Noor Nahar, 26, said: “I am afraid it will happen to other children. If we don’t catch whoever did this, they will do it again and again.”
Mrs Nahar told how she was walking from the family’s home to pick up her seven-year-old daughter, Noor Ankis, from school when the incident happened, at 1pm on Wednesday.
She said: “My 12-month-old son, Zunaed Abdullah, was in the pushchair and Noorsadia was sat on the top of it, facing me.
“I had not gone very far and was near some trees when I heard a loud bang, like a gun. It seemed to come from an abandoned building about 50 yards away and I turned to look.
“When I turned back to the children, Noorsadia was bleeding badly. There was blood all over her face and it was dripping on to her clothing. She was screaming and crying.
“I got some tissues and pressed them to her forehead to stop the bleeding. Then she stopped crying and went faint. I thought she was going to die. I could see there was something like a bullet in her head. I was panicking. I was screaming and crying and running with the pushchair, but no-one was there.”
Mrs Nahar borrowed a mobile phone from a passer by to alert her husband, Abdu Sahukkur, and took her daughter to a nearby doctor’s surgery.
A receptionist alerted the emergency services and Noorsadia was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary, where she was given emergency treatment and the pellet was removed.
She was discharged six hours later.
Her mother said the little girl had been saved by her hair, which had cushioned the pellet and prevented it going deeper into her skull.
The family came to Bradford six years ago after fleeing persecution, as Rohingya Muslims, in their native Burma.
Mrs Nahar’s brother, Nijam Mohammed, who is president of the Rohingya Survival Foundation UK, said they had been happy in Bradford but his sister was now scared when she took her eldest daughter to school, and the children were frightened to go outside.
He said: “My sister does not know who did this and she is worried it will happen again. She is very upset and asks anyone who knows who is responsible to contact the police.”
Sergeant Graham Dyson, of the Bradford East Area Neighbourhood Team, said: “We believe the pellet was fired from a derelict building to the rear of Cockroft Grove.
“I would like to stress very strongly that these types of weapons are not toys and can cause serious injuries.
“People should also be aware that using an airgun in a public place is illegal, and anyone found to be doing so will be arrested and possibly taken to court.
“Anyone with information about those who might be responsible for this incident, or who saw any suspicious activity in the area at the time, are asked to contact the Bradford East Area Neighbourhood PolicingTeam on 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”
