7-year-old raped, murdered in Pakistan: Her neighbour arrested as prime suspect

Five days after the seven-year-old disappeared, she was found raped, dead and buried in a garbage dump on January 9.

A prime suspect in the high-profile rape and murder case of a seven-year-old has been arrested in Punjab province of Pakistan.

Pakistani civil society activists take part in a protest after a child was raped and murdered in Karachi. (AFP Photo)

Police sources confirmed suspect Imran Ali, 23, a neighbour of the girl, had confessed to his crime before an investigation team.

They said Ali had been taken into custody over two weeks ago but was let go after the girl’s family said that ‘he could not be a culprit’.

Punjab government spokesperson Malik Ahmad told PTI that Ali had confessed to his crime but it would be confirmed whether he is the culprit or not after a DNA test.

“Imran Ali’s DNA test is underway and hopefully we will have the report later in the day,” Ahmad said, adding the suspect has been arrested from Pakpatan district of Punjab.

On January 5, the girl had gone missing while going to a religious tuition centre near her house in Kasur city, some 50-km from Lahore. Her parents had been in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah and she had been living with her maternal aunt.

On January 9, her body was recovered from a heap of trash near the Shahbaz Khan Road. Autopsy report had confirmed rape.

Police have carried out DNA test of more than 1,000 suspects. The Supreme Court on last Sunday gave a 72-hour deadline to Inspector General of Police to arrest the culprit.

Violent protests gripped the Kasur city following the murder that claimed two lives. The incident also stirred a national outcry demanding justice for her.

Last year, 4,139 incidents of child abuse took place in the province where 43 per cent of them were acquainted with perpetrators.