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Thursday March 28, 2024

Key suspect likely among three more men detained in six-year-old girl’s rape and murder case

By Faraz Khan
July 31, 2021
Key suspect likely among three more men detained in six-year-old girl’s rape and murder case

Police officials probing the horrific killing and rape of a six-year-old girl in Karachi’s Korangi district have detained three more suspects for questioning. The number of the detainees has risen to 18, and oolice investigators suspect that one of them is an apparent prime suspect, a neighbour of the girl.

Sources privy to the investigation said on Friday the suspect was taken into custody on the basis of information gathered from the area as well as the technical support, while his DNA test was also being conducted.

The suspect was said to have denied his involvement, but he was continuously changing his statement and was unable even to satisfy the police investigators about his presence at the time or the day of the incident. The DNA samples have been collected of eight of the 18 suspects taken into custody so far.

A senior police official, who wished not to be named, told The News that there were multiple reasons to detain the key suspect, Zakir alias Andola, including his sudden disappearance, getting his cell phone switched off, his previous conduct and witnesses’ statements regarding his possible involvement.

“We had been looking for him [the prime suspect] since Thursday, but he had gone underground,” the officer explained. “But we took him into custody with the help of technical support such as the mobile phone locator.”

East Zone police chief DIG Saqib Ismail Memon, while talking to The News, confirmed the detention of Zakir, saying it was a major breakthrough in a case.

“An apparent key suspect has been taken into custody,” DIG Memon said. “Apparently, Zakir, a victim’s neighbour, is involved in the incident.” He said the suspect had been arrested with the help of technical support. He added that Zakir was a prime suspect, and his DNA was being conducted, but nothing could be said exactly until the DNA report was obtained.

Governor’s claim

In a major development, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail announced on Friday that the prime suspect in the rape and murder case had been arrested. He made this announcement while talking to media outside the home of the victim in the Korangi neighbourhood.

“The prime suspect is arrested but his identity will only be revealed after the DNA matching process,” the governor said, adding that they stood by the family in their period of grief. “I have no words to express my outrage at the incident which saw a sexual assault against a six-year-old girl and then her murder,” the governor said, adding that it was their government’s responsibility to eliminate fear among the public owing to such frequent incidents.”

The police official said doctors in the preliminary medical report found that the girl was raped before being murdered. Her body was found in a dumpster. The girl had come out of her house to play at 9pm, but when she had not come back. The family approached the police and registered a case at around midnight. The girl's body was found in a garbage dump at 6am on Wednesday.

Investigators said the child had ventured out of her house at night following a power breakdown. However, when she did not return after some time, the family began to search for her. The girl's body was found wrapped in a thick mat at 6am on Wednesday near a deserted school and a ground, where drug addicts were present. The post-mortem report showed she was raped and her neck was broken.