Police on Saturday announced a Rs500,000 reward for anyone providing information in the rape and murder case of a four-year-old girl in Mardan or for aiding in the arrest of the suspect who remains at large.

The police put up posters seeking public's help in the Gojar Ghari area of the district, where the victim resided with her family and was abducted from.

Despite six days having passed since the body of the girl was found in sugarcane fields, police have failed to make headway in finding the culprit.

Sources in the police said over 200 DNA samples have been taken while over 100 people have been rounded up for investigation in the case.

The medico-legal examination of the girl said that she was strangulated to death and also pointed towards sexual violence. Police are still awaiting the forensic report for confirmation on whether the girl was raped.

The family had earlier been assured the forensic report would arrive by January 17.

Earlier this week, KP Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak visited the girl's family in Mardan and assured them that all possible support would be extended to them and the culprits would be captured soon.

District Nazim Himayatullah Mayar had earlier alleged that the police is trying to to hide sexual assault on the victim.

Since the start of 2018, there has been a marked upsurge in the reporting of sexual abuse cases across Pakistan. The brutal rape and murder of Zainab Ansari in Kasur earlier this month in particular shocked the entire country, with #JusticeforZainab becoming the rallying cry in a nationwide drive to end violence against children.

Two people were arrested on Friday in Zainab's case, a development police termed important in the search of suspect(s) involved in the case.