KASUR: Investigators in the Zainab case on Thursday expanded the radius of investigation and engaged the services of 200 more personnel of police and other law-enforcing agencies.

A police officer said investigators started new techniques from Thursday to find clue to the culprit. Earlier, investigators were just depending on four sources -- DNA, videos and sketches, phone helplines, and previous record holder accused in rape cases.

The radius has been expanded to Mustafabad, Raja Jang and Khudian.According to police, the man arrested in Lahore in connection with the case a couple of days ago, had been declared innocent.

Police said over 1,200 suspects had been arrested from various areas of Kasur city within the radius of three kilometers during the last nine days. They said DNA tests of 400 suspects had been conducted and, according to final report on Thursday, all tests were negative.

According to residents of Kasur, they are in double jeopardy. On the one hand, the lives of their children are at risk and on the other arrests [on a large scale] is a stigma. They say investigators should adopt a proper mechanism to arrest the suspects.

200 more personnel involved in the task

On Thursday, a police official said seven videos had been obtained from CCTV cameras installed at a distance of three kilometers; zigzag distance from the house of Zainab to the dumping point via Peerowala Road.

On Thursday evening, police picked up three suspects from Road Kot and Ali Park.Meanwhile reacting to a statement by the Azad Kashmir prime minister that the parents showed irresponsibility by leaving their children alone before going to Umra, Amin Ansari, father of Zainab, said he lived in a joint family system and he had handed over his children to his brothers who lived with him.

He said none of his close relatives was involved in the brutality as DNA tests of all [of his relatives] had already been completed.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2018