Peshawar police seek psychologist's help in rape, murder cases of minor girls

Recent cases in the provincial capital see calls from several quarters for prompt arrest of culprits

The Peshawar police have sought help from a psychologist to solve high-profile cases of sexual assault and murders of young girls in the provincial capital.

According to reports, at least two girls were killed while another was allegedly raped in Peshawar during the past one month, but the culprits still remain at large.

Police have recently profiled more than 100 suspects and acquired their DNA samples to probe into the matter.

Observing the situation's sensitivity, the police have consulted an expert psychologist team from the Hazara division.

The team has already started counselling one of the victims, Shazma*, and it will also show some images to her in order to identify the suspect.

Also read: Murders send shockwaves through Peshawar

SSP Operations Kashif Aftab said the police will also ensure counselling of the girls' parents and added that test results of two of the three girls allegedly subjected to sexual assault were still awaited.

Aftab further said that a forensic team was also working on the CCTV footage of one of the incidents.

He added that it was too early to say whether an individual or a single group was involved in all the incidents.

A string of heinous murders of young girls, occurring in quick succession during July, has left the population of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) rattled and worrying for the safety of their children, with many questioning the efficacy of the provincial police.

Nighat Orakzai, Member of the Provincial Assembly, in a recent debate in the assembly regarding the murders, had demanded answers from the police. “Atrocious incidents are happening in the very heart of Peshawar. Young girls are being killed right under our noses. A thorough investigation should be conducted to find out what the police are doing.”

* Name withheld to protect the identity.