Seven-year-old girl raped, killed in Thatta

KARACHI: A seven-year-old girl D* was found raped and killed in Var, a small town in Thatta district, on Thursday evening. The police have arrested two suspects who they claim have confessed to the crime.

The grade one student went missing after lunch at around 2pm on Thursday. The family informed the police that she went outside after coming home from school.

The family began searching for her but initially could not find her. "They found her naked body in a pool near a banana farm about 500 metres away from their house," said Najamuddin Bilo, the in-charge of the police post in Var. "We found her clothes at the same spot in the morning."

Bilo told The Express Tribune that the girl's body was shifted to Makli Civil Hospital Thatta, approximately 45km away. The doctors there confirmed that she had been raped, adding that the cause of death was strangulation.

Indian police shoot dead four suspects in rape-murder case

According to Bilo, two men, namely Sikander Shah and Irshad Mallah, had been arrested. He added that Mallah was the victim's uncle. "Both of the men have confessed," he claimed.

An FIR has been lodged by the victim's father, Altaf. Meanwhile, police have sent blood samples for chemical examination to Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences. They said that further investigation was under way.

Meanwhile, civil society activists held a protest against the brutal crime in Thatta city. They demanded stern action against the culprits and called for the government to ensure the safety of children. They also asked the government to take measures to minimise such heinous crimes.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2019.