Missing 5-year-old's body found in well

Police detain four suspects on charges of Ayat Noor murder YAWAR HAYAT

HARIPUR:

Haripur District Police Officer Shafiullah Gandapur, accompanied by members of the Special Investigation Team, said police had arrested four suspects in connection with the abduction, sexual assault and murder of five-year-old Ayat Noor.

Addressing a press conference, the DPO expressed deep sorrow over the death of the child and said the disappearance or abduction of a child was not merely a family tragedy but a matter of concern for the entire society.

According to police, Ayat Noor's father, Shafiq, a bakery worker, reported her missing on August 10. A case was registered under Sections 361 and 364-A of the Pakistan Penal Code, following which a search and investigation were launched.

A Special Investigation Team comprising senior police officers, including the SSP Investigation, DSP City, DSP Headquarters/Investigation and relevant SHOs and investigation officers, was formed. Female police officers and investigators were also included in the team.

A separate technical team was tasked with collecting and analysing CCTV footage, call data records, geofencing information and other digital evidence. Police obtained and reviewed footage from around 200 CCTV cameras and analysed records of 20 suspected phone numbers.

Officials said footage from 12 cameras proved particularly useful in tracing the child's movements after she left her home and identifying the suspects travelling on foot and by motorcycle.

Police subsequently arrested three suspects, Usman, Qasim, and Talha, and recovered the motorcycle allegedly used in the crime.

Police said Usman confessed before a court to abducting and sexually assaulting the child, and his statement was formally recorded by the judge. Qasim and Talha were produced before the court for physical remand. Due to his age, Talha was sent to Haripur Central Jail on judicial remand, while Qasim was handed over to police on a two-day physical remand.

Police later traced and arrested a fourth suspect, identified as Hasan Khan. Acting on his identification, police discovered a deep, dry and overgrown well in a vacant plot near the Link Road on University Road, close to a warehouse.

The body of Ayat Noor was recovered from the well with the assistance of Rescue 1122. The recovery operation was supervised by the DPO and senior members of the Special Investigation Team.

The body was shifted to the Rescue 1122 Trauma Centre in Haripur, where doctors conducted a post-mortem examination. X-rays and samples for DNA, kidney, intestinal and other forensic tests were collected and sent for analysis. Further investigation is under way.

The DPO said the investigation had faced several challenges because some of the suspects were underage and did not have identity cards, making it difficult to trace SIM cards directly registered in their names. Police therefore obtained and analysed records of their family members and other suspected numbers.

The investigation also involved extensive search operations. At one stage, more than 400 police officers and personnel, along with TMA and WASA staff, were divided into teams to search the area. The searches covered drains, sewerage lines, dense vegetation, areas around the University of Haripur, the fertiliser factory grounds, Pathan Colony and adjoining areas, vacant plots and deserted locations.