LAHORE: Shalimar police claimed on Monday to have arrested an 11-year-old boy for allegedly killing his minor sister four days ago for teasing him “for having poor handwriting”.

Nine-year-old Eman Tanvir was found strangled at her grandmother’s house in Shalimar area on June 30 and a murder case was registered against unidentified killer(s).

Earlier, the police had taken victim’s stepmother Saba into custody for interrogation but later released her.

Civil Lines Division Superintendent of Police (SP) Investigation wing Hasnain Haider said addressing a press conference at his office in Mughalpura on Monday that the minor girl was killed by her elder brother over “jealousy”.

He said the children Eman Tanvir and her brother Abdul Rehman had come to spend Eid holidays at their grandmother’s house in Shalimar.

The SP said, in the light of investigation, that the siblings held a handwriting competition when their grandmother was not home.

He said Eman teased her elder brother for having poor handwriting. This annoyed the boy who allegedly put a scarf around his sister’s neck and allegedly strangled her to death.

He said the boy later also cut a vein of his arm and also locked the door of the room from inside to conceal his crime.

He said on returning home, the grandmother found the room locked and called neighbours for help. The neighbours broke open the door, finding the girl lying dead and her brother with an injury on his arm, he added.

He said the neighbours shifted the girl’s body to hospital and informed the police about the incident.

Mr Haider said the police had first taken the parents of the children into custody for interrogation but later released them after they were found “innocent”.

He said that later when the boy was interrogated he confessed to killing his sister over handwriting issue.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2017