MANSEHRA: Mansehra police have arrested all the five persons suspected of hacking to death a 10-year-old schoolboy for merely talking with a six-year-old girl of their family.

“We have arrested all the five suspects nominated in the FIR and suspended three police investigators for showing negligence when the victim’s family approached them for help,” Shahzad Nadeem Bukhari, the district police officer, told a press conference here on Monday.

While giving details of gruesome murder of Mohammad Hamad, 10, the DPO said the suspects had confessed to their crime during the preliminary investigation, adding that the victim was killed after he talked to a minor girl of the family of the killers.

Mr Bukhari said Mohammad Dildar, the girl’s father, along with five other members of his family, including Mohammad Khano, Kala Khan, Mohammad Miskin and Khawaj Mohammad, hacked the boy to death with a dagger.

The gruesome incident, which occurred on Feb 23, led to blockade of Karakoram Highway for two consecutive days by the relatives and area people, thus causing delay in burial of the body.

The DPO said three police Muharrars posted at Pulrah police station, including Waris Khan, Mohammad Sabir and Aqib Javed, were also suspended on showing negligence as alleged by the victim’s family.

“If allegations are proven as stated by the victim’s family, all the three suspended police officials would be dealt with under relevant laws,” said Mr Bukhari.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2018