Homicide section added in missing child case

Police have finally added murder provisions in the case of a child who went missing about two months ago and his body was subsequently found from a pond in Rawat.

According to the police, four-year-old Arshman went missing on November 24, 2024, while attending a wedding with his mother and siblings in Mohra Ghaar near Hoshiyal. A case was registered with the police, but nearly two months later, the child's body was found after a passer-by couple spotted the body on the surface of the pond and informed the villagers.

The initial analysis of the body suggested the body was 12 to 15 days old, said the police. On the day the child went missing, mobile phone services were suspended in the area, making it impossible to conduct geo-fencing, they said, adding that the child may have been murdered, therefore, they have expanded the investigation.

CPO Rawalpindi Khalid Hamdani has ordered SSP Investigation and SP City to investigate the matter in all aspects, while SHO Rawat police station has also been directed to respond.

The body has been shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital for post-mortem.

The child's uncle, Umar Rauf, who is also the complainant in the case, expressed his concerns and frustrations with the police investigation. "The police were uncooperative and instead of searching for the child, they were asking for unnecessary documents like the child's birth certificate and the parents' marriage certificate."

Rauf also questioned how the police could not find the child's body in the same area where he went missing, despite conducting a search operation. He said that the area where the body was found is not deserted, and people frequently visit the pond. "When the child's body was found, his tongue was between his teeth, which contradicts the police's claim that the child drowned while playing," he said.

Meanwhile, according to SP City Nabil Khokhar, the post-mortem samples have been sent to the forensic science agency. The exact cause and time of death will be determined after the final report is received. The initial investigation suggests that the child might have fallen into the pond and drowned. However, the final report is awaited.

The police said that the child's body appeared to be 12 to 15 days old. If this is correct, it is possible that the child was kidnapped, held elsewhere, and then murdered and dumped in the pond around 15 days ago, they added.