Zainab rape, murder case: Prime accused awarded capital punishment

RAWALPINDI: The Additional District and Sessions Judge, Rawalpindi, Muhammad Afzal Majoka, on Tuesday awarded capital punishment on two counts to prime accused, Babar Masih and Muhammad Adnan, in the Zainab rape and murder case and imposed a fine of Rs0.5 million each. The court also pronounced seven years imprisonment sentence to co-accused Aniqa, wife of Babar Masih. The court stated giving verdict on the basis of strong evidence against all the accused.

Nine-year-old Zainab was raped and murdered in the Jhanda Chechi after she went missing after leaving her home for a nearby shop. Her body was later found from a house in the neighbourhood.

Following the incident, police arrested a suspect, identified as Babar Masih, and detained him at the Civil Lines Police Station, where enraged protesters gathered and demanded the police to hand him over for hanging him publicly. The victim’s father, Muhammad Imran, registered a case under sections of 302/34, 376, 376-B(3)-376 B and 201 against Babar Masih, Muhammad Adnan and Aniqa with the Civil Lines Police Station on March 22, 2021. The police told the court that the minor was sexually assaulted before being killed, adding that the suspects’ DNA sample was collected, which confirmed their involvement.

It is pertinent to mention that the case is reminiscent of another rape and murder case, in which a minor girl Zainab was raped and killed and her body was thrown on garbage heap.