Urdu Report Desk
Islamabad police have arrested a man in connection with the alleged rape and murder of his three-year-old sister-in-law, Sakina, and recovered the child’s body from a stormwater drain near Jhangi Syedan.
According to a police statement, the suspect was arrested after investigators traced the missing girl and questioned people in the area. Police said the child was allegedly raped before being killed.
Missing Girl Reported on September 22
Police officials told media that Sakina went missing at around 2pm on Tuesday, September 22, while she was playing outside her home.
According to the girl’s mother, she had been playing in the street but was no longer there when her mother checked on her a short time later. Family members initially searched for her themselves before contacting police.
The mother told police she feared that Sakina had been abducted and requested that officers locate her.
Police formed seven teams to search for the child and questioned local residents. Investigators also searched deserted areas around the settlement.
CCTV Footage Leads Police to Suspect
Police said that the investigation was complicated by the lack of CCTV cameras outside homes in the impoverished area.
According to the police officer, the footage showed the girl walking through a street while holding the hand of a young man believed to be around 23 or 24 years old.
The man was identified as Kashif, the girl’s brother-in-law. Police said Kashif had initially accompanied search teams looking for Sakina, and investigators did not initially suspect him.
Police Question Suspect
Police said the suspect subsequently identified the location where the child’s body had been left. Investigators recovered the body from the stormwater drain, where the girl was found unclothed.
According to police, the suspect told investigators during the initial inquiry that he killed the child because he feared she would tell her family what had happened.
Police said the suspect allegedly used a drawstring taken from an old shalwar found near the scene to strangle the child.
Forensic Evidence Collected
Police said they also recovered the trousers and shirt that the suspect allegedly wore at the time of the incident based on information provided by him.
Sakina’s body was handed over to her family after a post-mortem examination. DNA and other samples from the suspect and the child have been sent for forensic analysis.
Police said the suspect, who is originally from Faisalabad, had moved to Jhangi Syedan a few months earlier and was not currently employed. His wife, Sakina’s elder sister, worked in people’s homes to support the family.
The Noon police station said charges relating to murder had been added to the case initially registered over the girl’s disappearance.
Five-Day Physical Remand
Police obtained a five-day physical remand of the suspect and began further investigation into the case.
The investigation is continuing, with forensic results expected to form part of the evidence collected by authorities.
