Alleged paedophile dies in ‘encounter’

Suspect had been in police custody since Nov 12

DIJKOT:

The man accused of raping and then killing a seven-year-old girl one-and-a-half month ago, who had been under police custody after his arrest on November 12, died during an alleged police encounter on Sunday.

A police team under the leadership of Sub-Inspector Mohsin Ali was escorting the suspect, Munir Ahmed, to show them the location where he had supposedly committed the crime of rape-cum-murder of the seven-year-old girl.

Police claimed that on the way to the “crime scene”, the suspect’s “motorcycle-riding companions” allegedly tried to secure his release from police custody by opening fire on the police vehicle.

Police returned the fire, and an encounter ensued.

During the alleged encounter, police claimed that Munir Ahmed was hit by the bullets of his own colleagues.

Police were shifting him to the hospital, but he died of his injuries on way to the hospital.

Police officers, including the SP of Iqbal Town, Usman Munir Saifi, the DSP of Factory Area, Rana Atta-ur-Rehman, and the SHO of Dijkot, reached the spot as soon as they received information about the alleged police encounter, took possession of the body and had it shifted to the Allied Hospital’s mortuary for postmortem.

Read Street children succumb to paedophilia

Munir Ahmed had been arrested by police on November 12, nearly one month after the incident of rape-cum-murder of a seven-year-old girl. Police had then claimed that the suspect had confessed to killing the girl after raping her.

Given the seriousness of the matter, police had shifted the accused to a special cell for investigation.

According to police sources, the seven-year-old girl was raped by a young man who came to Chak No. 279-RB one month ago.

He had lured the girl under the pretext of buying something for her.

The girl had been suffocated to death after the accused had placed his hand on her mouth and nose to suppress her screams. After she died, he dumped her body in the bushes before fleeing.

After the incident was reported, the Caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab, the IGP and the chief secretary had remained in Dijkot for several days.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 27^th, 2023.