Serial killer and rapist handed death sentence

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar Child Protection Court on Monday sentenced a man to death on three counts and life imprisonment along with a total fine of Rs2.7 million after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting three minor girls and murdering two of them in the provincial capital.

The case was prosecuted by Public Prosecutors Bilal Arif and Ziaul Qamar Safi. The accused, Sohail alias Malang, was charged with assaulting minor girls in the jurisdictions of West Police Station, East Police Station, and Gulberg Police Station in July 2022. After the assaults, he murdered two of the girls, while a third miraculously survived.Police formed multiple teams to investigate the incidents and arrested the suspect after DNA testing.

The public prosecutors told the court that these crimes had shaken the entire society. The Child Protection Court conducted the trial, presenting all witnesses and medical evidence.The prosecutors stated that Sohail alias Malang had raped and murdered a minor girl in the Railway Quarters area in the jurisdiction of East Cantt Police Station.

The following week, he killed another minor girl near a mosque in the limits of West Cantt Police Station.

Days later, he assaulted a third girl in a commercial plaza in Nauthia locality and attempted to murder her, but she survived miraculously.The prosecutors argued that solid evidence, including the accused’s confession before a magistrate, proved his guilt, warranting strict punishment. They emphasized that such incidents not only tarnished Pakistan’s reputation globally but also spread fear among parents.The defense lawyer, however, claimed that the prosecution had failed to prove its case and demanded acquittal.