Suspect in rape, murder of minor girls arrested in Peshawar

A suspect who allegedly sexually assaulted and then killed girls has been arrested by K-P police in Peshawar.

The accused, Sohail, worked as a craftsman doing embroidery on wedding clothes and is reportedly aged between 25 and 30. 

Police claim that the accused has confessed to killing two girls after raping them, and would change his appearance before committing the crimes. 

In his reported confession, he said he raped and killed a 10-year-old girl in the Railway Colony area on July 3, raped another victim on July 17 and also killed a girl in the Kalibari area after sexually assaulting her. 

A special investigation team has also interviewed a survivor. The team also sifted through more than 50 images of suspects and conducted DNA tests of 100 people, along with investigating 200 residences as part of their investigation. 

Talking to The Express Tribune, a children's rights expert said sexual abuse of minors is a harsh reality in the country. 

“Parents and victims are reluctant to lodge FIRs because they are ashamed after rape, but things are changing now to some degree and victims are coming forward to contact the police. As a result, the community and government have shown a resolve to prevent and respond to the cases of child abuse,” he said.

Despite all the efforts and legislation by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government to protect children from sexual predators, child molestation has been on the rise as it jumped up by 93 per cent in 2021.

As per the Central Police Office (CPO), 360 cases of child sexual abuse were recorded in 2021 across the province.

K-P has recorded 185 molestation cases in 2019, 323 cases in 2020 and 360 cases in 2021, showing a disturbing upward trend.

As per the data, 248 accused were arrested in 2019, 468 in 2020 and 477 in 2021 by the police.