Three held for 'raping, killing' minor girl in Lahore

One suspect is her maternal uncle with whom she lived after her parents’ divorce

LAHORE: Police arrested three suspects for their alleged involvement in raping and killing a nine-year-old girl at Lahori Gate late on Wednesday night.

One of the suspects is the girl's maternal uncle with whom she lived, along with her mother, after the parents divorced over a year ago. These days, the girl's mother is in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah and the girl was staying with her maternal uncles.

Police said that the girl’s postmortem report will be received and soon after, the DNA tests of the arrested suspects would be carried out.

Police said the girl, Ayesha, a resident of Mohalla Shiekhan, Lohari Gate, was taken to the hospital in a critical condition where she died during treatment. After receiving information, police reached the spot where the girl's relatives tried to keep the incident hidden.



Later, the police shifted the body to a morgue and they, along with forensic officers, gathered evidence from the spot and sent it to the forensic laboratory. Police say the initial report suggests the girl was raped.

SP City Maaz Zafar also visited the scene and interrogated another maternal uncle of the girl and two women.  He said that the initial postmortem report revealed that the girl was killed after being raped. However, the facts would be revealed after the investigation is completed. Police have lodged an FIR against unidentified suspects on the father's complaint.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has taken notice of the incident and ordered the IG to submit a report to him. He has said that justice will be provided to the family at all costs.