LAHORE, March 22: Police arrested a factory worker on Thursday for the rape and murder of a six-year-old child in Shahdara.

Shah Zeb, son of Muhammad Bashir of Farrukhabad, went missing on March 18 from outside his house. After a day, the family received a call from a man who demanded a Rs1.5 million ransom.

Through the phone call data, police unearthed the kidnap mystery and the caller turned out to be Yasir, a factory worker and a neighbour of Bashir.

Shahdara police said Shah Zeb was playing outside his house on Sunday last when Yasir lured the child into a house and raped him.

When the victim threatened to disclose the ordeal to his parents, Yasir took the child on his motorcycle to the Ravi to kill him and throw his body into the river. Later, he changed his plan and threw the child into a drain near Sherakot.

He phoned victim’s father and demanded a Rs1.5 million ransom for the child’s release.

Bashir alerted the police which traced the suspect with the help of cell phone data.

Local residents told the police that Shah Zeb was last seen with Yasir on March 18.

Yasir, during interrogation, confessed to committing the crime.City SP Operation Anwar Khaitran said the police had yet to find the body of the child. He said Yasir worked in a City Raiwind factory. — Staff Reporter