‘Rapist and murderer’ of minor girl killed

Rawalpindi police spokesperson claims suspect killed by accomplices during exchange of fire

RAWALPINDI:

The accused, who had allegedly raped and murdered a 10-year-old girl in the Farqeerabad area of Attock two weeks ago, was killed in a crossfire between police and the accomplices of the suspect.

Accused Qari Muhammad Ikram, who had escaped after allegedly raping and killing a 10-year-old girl in the Faqeerabad area Attock, was nominated in the FIR on a complaint of the victim’s father.

Police said that an operation has been launched to arrest the accomplices of the slain accused.

According to a police spokesman, the accused was arrested by the Attock Saddar police on Saturday, however, his armed accomplices opened fire on the police party and got him released.

According to the spokesperson, a search operation was under way to nab the accused when the accomplices of the accused again opened fire on the police party.

The police spokesperson claimed that accused Qari Muhammad Ikram was shot dead by his accomplices during the crossfire. The accused was wanted by the police in the rape and murder of 10-year-old girl Hadia, the spokesperson said adding that the body of the accused was shifted to the district headquarters hospital, Attock for medico-legal formalities. “Raids are being carried out for the arrest of the accomplices of the accused, he said.

The tortured body of 10-year-old student Hadia was found in the local graveyard of Faqeerabad on the night between June 13 and 14. The girl went to Qari Muhammad Ikram on June 13 to get religious education but did not return home. When the girl’s parents started searching for her along with the neighbours, the accused locked his home and managed to escape. The body of the girl was found in the graveyard during the search.

The case was registered at the Saddar Attock police station on the complaint of the victim’s father Mohammad Ajmal in which the father had alleged that Qari Mohammad Ikram had abducted the girl, raped and tortured her and to cover up the crime, killed her and her body was dumped in the graveyard before escaping from the crime scene.

Police had registered a case against the accused under the provisions of rape and murder, torture on a complaint of the victim’s father. Police had confirmed the abuse during Hadia’s autopsy and samples were sent to Lahore Forensic Laboratory for a DNA test.

Earlier, Muhammad Ajmal, the father of the slain girl, while talking to The Express Tribune on the phone, had said that the family members were going through a painful situation after the murder of his daughter.

He had said that Hadia was a very innocent and obedient girl who was treated brutally by a brutal human being.

The girl’s father had said that he was optimistic that the accused will be arrested. He had said that all evidence had been shared with the police.

The victim’s father had alleged that Qari Ikram tortured, raped and killed his daughter to cover up his crime.

Earlier, the victim’s father had demanded from Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz Sharif that justice be provided to his family. The Punjab government should monitor the efforts to arrest the accused so that he could be arrested at the earliest.

Earlier, a spokesman for the RPO office had said that police were investigating the serious crime from different angles. “Efforts are under way to arrest the accused. The investigation team will soon receive the post-mortem and DNA test reports,” he had said adding that they were fully in touch with the victim’s family and the victim’s father was satisfied with the police investigation.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2022.