Three suspects involved in 7-year-old’s murder arrested in Haripur

DIG says police are searching for a fourth suspect

HARIPUR: The Haripur police arrested and presented three men before the media on Tuesday whom they claimed were the suspects involved in the murder of a seven-year-old boy in the area last week.

Officials added that they were looking for a fourth suspect.

Addressing a news conference at the office of the Haripur District Police Office, Hazara Deputy Inspector General of Police Ali Babakhel stated during their investigation they discovered that witnesses had last seen Haseebullah walking with Sangeen Jan — one of the arrested suspects —towards Garpul.

Suspects Abdullah Younus, then allegedly took Jan to the wooded area on the banks of the Dour River where he along with Siyab Gul and Shiraz allegedly sexually assaulted Jan. Haseebullah, though secretly saw the act and warned that he would tell his parents about this.

At this, the three allegedly threw rocks at him. Some of the rocks hit Haseebullah on the head, sending him crashing to the ground.

The seven-year-old started crying for help. Distressed, the suspects beat him with stones and used a drawstring to strangle him to death.

The suspects then fled.

DIG Babakhel added that the real break in the case came when witnesses pointed that Haseebullah was last seen with Jan. When they apprehended Jan, he disclosed that he himself was a victim of rape and that the other suspects had threatened to kill him if he disclosed what had happened to Haseebullah.

Jan was then included as part of the investigations.

The DIG added that a medical test of Jan was conducted which proved that he had been raped. Thereafter, his statement was also recorded before a local court after which the three suspects Younus, Siyab Gul and Shiraz were arrested.

He added that search for a fourth suspect, Saad Jameel, was underway.

During the news conference, DIG Babakhel rebutted complaints from the seven-year-old victim’s family of police negligence.

He added that an autopsy report showed that the victim died of serious injuries to the head and strangulation. He added that contrary to the claims made by the victim’s family, the autopsy report did not find marks of sexual assault.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 29^th, 2019.