In the dark: Police hope mobile records offer clues in teen’s murder

Have call records, waiting for SMS data; autopsy report still not available

PESHAWAR: Police remain in the dark over the murder of a 13-year-old boy who was found slaughtered at Bagh-e-Naran Park in Hayatabad.  “The child had two mobile phones gifted by someone and we were informed he visited the park a few days ago,” said Hayatabad ASP Hassan Afzal while talking to The Express Tribune.



“We were told he used to text someone frequently. Police have the call data, but SMS records are awaited,” he said. He added police were still waiting for the autopsy report which could confirm if he had been raped or sexually assaulted.

Waiting for answers

Niab, the father of the deceased, said he was a poor man who makes and sells beads for a living. “I had five children, three sons and two daughters. Hashmat Ali was the second youngest,” he said. Niab added the boy was a student of grade six and went to a private school in Yakatoot. He also went to a tuition academy established in the same school.

“When he went missing that night, we tried to call him around 9pm, but his mobile was not responding. We searched the area and could not find him,” the father said.

“The next day around 4pm, the family was told a body had been found at a park in Hayatabad and the police suspected it was Hashmat’s. They were right,” he said.

“We have no idea what happened to my son. It is the duty of the police to investigate and arrest the culprits behind the murder,” he said.

Meanwhile, another official of the Hayatabad police station said the autopsy report was late.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2016.