Five-year-old Sahil Saeed, who is British, was snatched in the early hours of Thursday morning by the robbers who held the family at gunpoint for hours.

They demanded 118,000 U.S. dollars ransom after abducting the boy, who is of Pakistani origin, in the agricultural town of Jhelum, 75 miles southeast of Islamabad.

According to the British High Commission in Pakistan, the robbers entered the house late at night and held the family at gun-point all night before leaving with household possessions as well as the boy.

Police said The robbers took away 1,750 U.S. dollars and some gold but when the family started crying the robbers also took away the child .

The boy´s father, Raja Naqqash Saeed, who lives in England and was visiting his family in Pakistan, said the kidnap was taking its toll on the family.

Kidnapping is a major problem in Pakistan and many of the crimes go unreported. Police have said Taliban militants use ransoms from kidnappings to fund their insurgency against the U.S.-backed government.

However, no signs have emerged that the abduction of Sahil Saeed is linked to militants.

Police say they suspect the kidnappers had been tipped off that the boy and his relatives were planning to fly home to Britain on Thursday after a visit to Pakistan. They say the taxi driver, who was supposed to drive the boy and his father to the airport, is now in police custody.

Police say the kidnappers have been in touch with the boy´s family but would not elaborate while the investigation is underway.