LARKANA: Two suspects were arrested for injuring a 10-year-old boy in an attempt to subject him to a criminal assault behind the Arts Council of Pakistan, Larkana, on Thursday.

The suspects were produced before the third judicial magistrate, who remanded them in police custody for two days.

The boy’s father lodged an FIR (22/2018) at the Sachal police station stating that his son had left home to buy milk but when he did not return within the expected time a search for him was started. He said he, along with some of his relatives, while passing through the street behind the Arts Council building, heard screams from nearby desolate spot which attracted their attention. He said when they approached the spot, they saw four persons beating up his crying son, who was stripped of his clothes.

“When we challenged the suspects, they took to their [heels],” he said.

The rescued boy told local reporters that the suspects had caught and forcibly taken him to the spot to subject him to criminal assault. With blood rolling down his face due to some head or neck injury the boy in trauma said that he was mercilessly beaten up for resisting their attempt to criminally assault him.

Larkana SSP Ghulam Shabbir Sethar, however, claimed that the boy was rescued by the Sachal police who responded promptly to the higher authorities’ order to take swift action following a message received through the social media.

Quoting Sachal SHO Mohamed Usman Wadho, the SSP’s spokesman, Qatar Kango, claimed that the police team sprung into action to trace out the victim and nab two of the suspects.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2018