Five held in murder of 14-year-old girl

Sadar Wah police have arrested five co-accused in the killing of a 14-year-old girl.

The arrests were made in the light of the confessional statement of the main killer, identified as Muhammad Ilyas, who allegedly killed the teenager to cover up his illicit relationship with the victim.

In October, Nadia, a resident of Malikabad, had lodged a complaint with the police stating that her 14-year-old daughter had gone missing from home while her mobile phone went switched off.

After examining the history of the victim’s mobile phone data, the police had arrested her neighbour Muhammad Ilyas, who initially denied his involvement in killing the girl.

The accused was later sent on judicial remand after the completion of his physical remand.

The police with the help of technology and human intelligence also interrogated Ilyas' brothers and close relatives. During the investigation, it transpired that Ilyas had an illicit relationship with the girl. He strangled her to death to cover his illicit relationship with the victim and wrapped her body in a blanket and carpet and hid it under a bed in his room.

According to police sources, during his judicial remand, Ilyas told his brothers and relatives about the body. The accused's brothers and relatives later shifted the body to Kohat and dumped it there. The mutilated body was found unclaimed in Kohat and the police obtained forensic evidence and buried the body there.

According to the police, five accused Farid, Shoaib, Saeed, Waqas and Imran have been arrested in the light of the revelation made during the scientific investigation. The police said that raids were under way to arrest other accused including a woman.

The police said that all legal requirements would be met to get the accused punished.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 25^th, 2021.