A man murdered his four minor children by pushing them into a canal in Kahna.
Police sources said initial investigation had indicated that the suspect might have been involved in molestation of children. However, the police were investigating the matter keeping in view various possible angles, including the mental health, family relations and activities of the suspect.
Police said the youngest daughter of the suspect had been born a few days ago and he had been quarreling with his wife over the birth of a girl. His wife had gone to her parents’ home along with the eldest and youngest daughters.
The police and rescue workers had yet to find the bodies of the victims till late evening.
The suspect, Muhammad Azeem, a resident of Panju village had complained to the police on Sunday evening that his children Ghulam Sabir, 12, Somiya, nine, Nabiha five, and Ayesha, two, were missing.
He stated that the children had left their home for a nearby shop but not returned.
“We searched for the children in the neighborhood and asked our relatives about them but did not find any trace of them,” he stated in the FIR lodged at Kahna police station.
He expressed fear that the children might have been abducted by unknown people.
A DSP leading the investigations inspected the neighborhood and interviewed the family of the victims.
The investigators noticed contradictory statements made by the complainant.
He had told the police that the victims had left home for a nearby shop, but some witnesses told the investigation officials that they had seen him taking away the children on a motorcycle around the reported time of the incident.
Over suspicion, the investigators grilled the complainant, during which he confessed to the murder, the police officials said.
Lahore Police Operations DIG Ali Nasir Rizvi told the media that it was a case of cold-blooded murder. The official said the wife of the suspect was aware of his immoral acts.
“This is initial investigation based on the confession tallied independently with other information and events independently,” the DIG said, requesting the media to respect the privacy of the family.
He said the suspect was not deranged and he had committed the crime while in his senses.
The official said the investigators had also used the cellular technology to probe into the case.
The suspect had four daughters and two sons.
Citing the confessional statement, the investigators said he had taken his children on a motorbike to Lulliyani Canal in Kasur district.
He asked the children to pose for a selfie, but pushed them into the canal. The official said police and rescue teams were searching for the bodies, including in tributaries of the canal in Raja Jhang and Pattoki.
Rizvi said the police had tallied the revelations made by the suspect with the chain of events and concluded that the confession was credible. However, the investigation was ongoing.
The search operation for bodies launched in the area identified by the suspect was halted in the night because of darkness.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2023.
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