GILGIT: The body of a four-year-old boy, who was found murdered a few days ago in Diamer district, was exhumed on Tuesday for postmortem.

A case was also registered in the Chilas city police station.

A three-member medical board constituted by the Diamer district administration exhumed the body in the supervision of deputy commissioner Mohammad Usman and police officials.

Body of the child, Ahmed, was buried without conducting postmortem on Saturday. Mutilated body of the boy was found in forest near Chilas on Friday after he went missing in Batogah Sumal village some 12 days ago.

The killing was allegedly blamed by police and parents on some supernatural beings.

Initially, police claimed that parents of the boy didn’t register FIR of the case as they believed the child was killed by some supernatural being.

Police said after failing to trace the missing boy for several days, the parents approached the ‘spiritual healers’ (Aamils) to help locate him.

The spiritual healers told them that their son had been kidnapped by supernatural beings.

According to parents, the boy had been tortured and his hands chopped.

On Tuesday, the boy’s parents recorded their statements about the incident to the police after which the police registered the case. In the statements, the parents still believed supernatural beings murdered their son as they had no enmity with anyone and didn’t suspect anyone for the murder.

Talking to Dawn on Tuesday, Deputy Inspector General of Police Anayatullah Farooqi said the FIR into the case couldn’t be registered against anyone unless postmortem report was submitted, which he added would be done in three-four days

He said the police were unaware about the incident as neither parents nor local people informed them about the incident.

He said police would investigate the case in the light of the postmortem report.

Meanwhile, GB Chief Minister Hafeezur Rahman told reporters that the samples of the body had been sent to Lahore for DNA test. He said the case would be properly investigated to unfold the facts.

GB minister for food Haji Janbaz Khan, who is also relative of the deceased boy, said the body was killed by some supernatural being and dared police register case against such forces.

He claimed he was witness to many people having been abducted by supernatural beings from Diamer, adding supernatural beings existed in large numbers in the district.

“No need for police to investigate the case as these cases are common in the district where supernatural beings abduct people and later murder them,” said the minister.

JUI-F opposition leader in Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly Haji Shah Baig, who also belongs to the district, too declared the boy had been murdered by supernatural beings.

Talking to reporters in Diamer, he pointed out that in past many people had been kidnapped and murdered by the supernatural beings.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2015

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