Minor girl gang-raped, thrown into Malir river with slit throat

A minor girl was battling for her life at the Civil Hospital on Thursday night after she was gang-raped and thrown with a slit throat into the Malir River near Korangi Crossing.

“The girl, aged 8-9 years, was subjected to gang rape and later her throat was slit by assailants,” said ENT surgeon Dr Yasir Maqsood while talking to The News.

“We operated upon her and now she is in stable condition. Medico-legal officials also examined the girl and initially it is believed that she was gang-raped prior to attempt to murder,” he said.

“We have moved her to the Intensive Care Unit, where she would remain for the next 24 to 36 hours.”

Dr Yasir said that before the surgery, the girl identified herself and said she was from Mithi, Tharparkar. “But she appears to be either a Pashtun or Hazara, not a native of Tharparkar.”

He said one of the victim’s wrists had also been slit with a knife and that showed her tormentors wanted her to bleed to death. Ibrahim Hyderi police said the victim was found by a rescue worker of a welfare foundation, who took her to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, from where she was carried to the Civil Hospital’s Trauma Centre for surgery.

SHO Ahmed Shaikh of Ibrahim Hyderi said that initially it was learnt that three to four unidentified men abducted the girl, subjected her to sexual assault and tried to kill her by slitting her throat. The men later left her to bleed to death at a desolate place near Korangi Crossing.

“At the moment, we are trying to identify the girl and locate her parents. Her pictures have been disseminated all over the city while investigation into the case has been launched,” he added.

Sindh Social Welfare Minister Shamim Mumtaz visited the Trauma Centre to ascertain about the condition of the girl and said her first priority would be to find out about her parents.

“Whoever has maltreated this young, innocent child will have to face the consequences as she is alive and can identify those who molested and tried to kill her,” she said and added that security would be provided to the victim.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Haleem Adil Shaikh also visited the hospital to inquire after the girl’s health and said even children were not safe in the country.