Orphan strangulated to death for land

A 9-year-old orphaned boy, Ali Akbar, was murdered by his paternal uncle for the sake of a three-acre piece of land.

After binding the child's hands and feet, the suspect, identified as Imran, strangled him to death and dumped his body in the Sohag Canal.

Ali Akbar, a second-grade student from the Haveli Lakha area near Depalpur, had been living with his uncle Imran following the death of his father, Usman.

His mother, Naheed Fatima, had remarried and reportedly cut all ties with her son.

According to police and family sources, Imran plotted the murder in advance, even sending his wife away after a staged argument to clear the way for his plan.

On the day of the incident, Imran took his own 13-year-old son Hadi and his nephew Ali Akbar to the Sohag Canal near 3-SP. There, he tied up the boy with tape, strangled him and threw his body into the canal before returning home with his son as if nothing had happened.

When Ali Akbar failed to return home by evening, his maternal uncle Sajid Ali began searching for him.

Suspecting foul play, he questioned Hadi, who eventually confessed to witnessing the murder and revealed his father's involvement.

Police were alerted and arrested Imran. A rescue team from 1122 recovered Ali Akbar's body after several hours of search operations.

Items used in the crime - including the tape and the boy's shoes - were also recovered from the canal bank following Imran's identification.