Teen accused of killing four-year-old cousin

Neighbours found the child’s body wrapped in a jute bag at a vacant house.

LODHRAN: A 16-year-old boy was arrested on Wednesday on charges of murder and rape of his four-year-old cousin in Dunyapur tehsil.

Rizwan, a resident of 17-M village, was arrested after some residents of the area found the body of a girl, his cousin, wrapped inside a jute bag and dumped in an empty house in the neighborhood.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the child’s family said that she went missing on Wednesday evening while she was playing in the street outside her house. Muhammad Ali, her father who is a farmer by profession, said that he and his wife searched for their child throughout the night but could not locate her.

He said that they even went to Rizwan’s house and asked him about the child’s whereabouts but he expressed ignorance.

The body was located by a neighbour, Aslam.

He said he found the body early Thursday morning when he was returning from the mosque after offering Fajr prayers. He said he immediately informed deputy superintendent of Saddar police Zafar Buzdar.

Buzdar, along with his team, raided the area and took the body in custody.

He said that the body was in very bad condition. He condemned the culprits and said that if Rizwan was found guilty he should be given a severe punishment to make an example of him, adding that only a harsh punishment would ensure that no one in the village ever thinks of committing such a heinous crim e in the future.

Lodhran DPO Agha Muhammad Yousuf told the Tribune that police arrested Rizwan as the initial investigations revealed that he was the last person who was seen around the child. He said that a case has been filed against Rizwan under several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and investigations started.

DPO Yousaf said eyewitnesses told the police that Rizwan allegedly took the girl along with two more children saying that he would get them some toys. “Rizwan allegedly took the girl to the vacant house where he sexually assaulted her and dumped her body,” the DPO said, quoting the eyewitnesses. He said that other children returned to their homes at night but the girl and Rizwan remained missing.

The DPO said that the body was initially taken to the Duniyahpur tehsil headquarter (THQ) hospital but due to the absence of a female doctor it was moved to a rural health centre in 231-WB where Dr Sohail examined the body and confirmed that the girl had been sexually assaulted prior to murder.

The child was buried in the village on Thursday evening.

*Name of the accused has been changed to protect his identity

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2010.