Police make arrests in savage rape-murder of 13-year-old

Arrested suspects include landlord Zulfiqar Dahot, who is also employer of victim's father

HYDRABAD:

In a horrifying case of rape and murder involving a minor girl, police have made significant progress by apprehending five suspects, including two individuals named in the FIR filed on Friday night.

A police official revealed to The Express Tribune that among those taken into custody are Zulfiqar Dahot, a landlord, and Zahid Khaskheli.

The lifeless body of Nisha Kolhi, 13-year-old daughter of Walji Kolhi, was discovered hanging from a tree in the village of Qaim Babbur within the Hyderabad taluka, falling under the jurisdiction of the Husri police station, on June 13.

Her father, who is employed by Dahot, stated in the FIR that she had left home with other children to visit the mango orchard in the village but failed to return. 

According to the complainant, Dahot dissuaded them from taking the girl's body to the hospital or reporting the incident to police. The body remained at their residence until local women alerted the family to the possibility of sexual assault.

On the morning of June 22, they transported the body to Liaquat University Hospital, where medical professionals confirmed that she had been subjected to rape.

The special investigation team, led by ASP Cantt Aleena Rajpar, visited the village on Friday and met with the grief-stricken family. Meanwhile, the SSP submitted a preliminary report of the incident to IG Sindh Police Ghulam Nabi Memon.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2023.