Kasur boys’ killer remanded in police custody for 15 days

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday remanded a suspect behind the sexual assault and murder of four boys in Chunian, Kasur — Suhail Shehzad — in police custody for 15 days. Judge Abdul Qayum Khan also ordered a medical examination of the suspect who was produced in the court with a black hood over his head. Deputy Prosecutor General Abdul Rauf Watoo was also present.

The suspect pleaded before the court to direct the police not to beat him during custody. The investigation officer submitted a statement, saying the suspect had been brought to the court in pursuance of a First Information Report (FIR) registered against him for sexual assault and murder of one of the four boys. The cases registered for the other three boys were being probed by a joint investigation team, he added.

Shehzad’s arrest was announced by Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar a day earlier at a press briefing in which he revealed the methods used to unearth the suspect’s identity.

The chief minister confirmed that the suspect was behind all four cases of sodomy and murder, which had shaken Kasur last month and shed light on the continued prevalence of sexual abuse of children in the country. The case against him will be pursued in the ATC where hearings will be held on a daily basis, Buzdar said. Four children aged between eight and 12 years had gone missing since June this year, with the latest Faizan (8) disappearing on the night of September 16. The remains of three of them were found on September 17 from sand dunes near Chunian bypass. Buzdar had taken notice of the incident and sought a report from the Punjab Police chief.