LAHORE, May 21: A mentally retarded minor girl was found dead with telltale signs of rape on the premises of the Children’s Hospital here on Wednesday.

Gulzar Ahmad of Ehata Mool Chand, Ichhra, told police that his daughter, Neelam (10), had been mentally upset since her birth. She went missing from home at around 5pm on Tuesday. The family searched for her, but to no avail.

On Wednesday, she was found dead on the third floor of the hospital. Blood stains on the floor led to the recovery of the body. She had been throttled and gagged with her clothes.

“I am sure that she has been raped before being murdered,” the investigation officer told reporters at the scene of the crime. However, he said final findings would come after an autopsy on the body.

Meanwhile, neighbours of the girl on hearing about the incident held a protest demonstartion and demanded early arrest of the culprit(s). They dispersed when the police assured them of justice.

Meanwhile, the Children’s Hospital administration suspended on Wednesday an admn officer and two deputy medical superintendents following recovery of a child’s body from a diagnostic block’s third floor.

The officials who have been suspended are admn officer Dr Muhammad Khursheed Khan, DMS Dr Ahmad Bilal and DMS (night) Dr Muhammad Jamil.

Children’s Hospital and Institute of Child Health dean-cum-project director Prof Dr Sajid Maqbool said the recovery of a child’s body indicated lack of security and administrative control at the hospital.

Prof Maqbool has constituted a three-member committee comprising Associate Professor Dr Ahsan Waheed Rathor, Associate Professor (radiology) Dr Mahfoozur Rahman and Assistant Professor (ENT) Dr Muhammad Arif Tarar to submit a preliminary report within 24 hours and a comprehensive report within three days.