JIT to probe rape, murder of minors in Kasur

Kasur DPO has been removed, SP Investigation charge sheeted and Chunian DSP and SHO suspended

LAHORE: The home department on Wednesday formed a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the kidnapping, rape and murder of three minors in Chunian tehsil in Kasur.

According to the notification issued earlier, Kasur DPO Abdul Ghaffar Qaisrani was supposed to head the JIT but he, and the Investigation SP, were removed from their posts.

The bodies of three minor boys were discovered from Chunian industrial area on Tuesday. One of the children was kidnapped two days ago, while the other two had been kidnapped two months ago. Another kidnapped child is also missing.



Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Arif Nawaz Khan has formed a six-member committee to investigate the incident. The team has begun investigations after gathering evidence from the crime scene.

Further, the DNA testing of nine suspects detained by the JIT was also conducted on Wednesday. Punjab Additional IG Inam Ghani and the Sheikhupura RPO were also present.

Protests held

In the wake of the incident, several protests erupted across Kasur. On Wednesday, the local traders’ association and the Chunian Bar Association called a strike and demanded that the murderer should be arrested and awarded strict punishment.

Moreover, protesters also blocked the road in front of Chunian police station. Protesters claimed that the unrest would continue until the culprit/culprits responsible for the heinous crime are apprehended.

Widespread protests prompted Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Arif Nawaz Khan, on the directions issued by Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, to suspend two officials, the Chunian DSP and the Chunian City SHO, for negligence.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar took to social media to condemn the incident, adding that he is in touch with the IGP over the matter.

The province’s chief executive added that senior officials are at the scene and agencies, including the Special Branch and forensic laboratory, are involved in identifying those responsible for the crime.

Pakistan Peoples Party Punjab General Secretary Ch Manzoor Ahmad has also condemned the murder of three innocent children in Chunian. In a message on Wednesday, he urged the police and administration to arrest the culprits at the earliest and give them exemplary punishment. He said that these incidents had created panic in Kasur district and its surroundings.

Meanwhile, the post mortem report of one of the children, identified as eight-year-old Mohammad Faizan, confirmed that the child had been sexually assaulted before being killed. Torture marks were also found on his body. Police stated that samples taken from the deceased have been sent to the forensic lab for testing.



Kasur was thrust into the spotlight after the case involving eight-year-old Zainab sent shockwaves through the nation. Zainab was kidnapped on January 4, 2018 near her aunt’s house in Kasur. Her body was discovered five days later from a garbage heap. The autopsy report revealed that she had been raped before being murdered.

The news of the abduction, rape, and brutal murder of the eight-year-old shocked the nation and triggered mass protests against police inaction in Kasur and other cities across the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th, 2019.