HARIPUR: After taking three accused into custody, the Sera-i-Saleh police arrested another resident named in the boy's murder case.

The court of a judicial magistrate handed over all accused to the investigation team for interrogation on two days physical remand. Regional Police Officer, Hazara, Mohammad Ali Babakhel told reporters that Haseebullah, a seven-year-old resident of Mohallah Jandran in Sera-i-Saleh village, had gone missing on May 23. He said the boy’s body was found under a bridge near the River Daur on May 25 evening.

The RPO said the medico-legal officer, who performed postmortem on the body, had disclosed that the death was caused by stoning and strangulation but he denied that the boy was subjected to sexual assault.

He said a team of investigators headed by SP Asif Gohar and DPO Dr Zahidullah Jan arrested Sangeen Jan, a resident of Quetta, who currently lived in Sera-i-Saleh, as he was seen with the boy on May 23 evening.

Mr Babakhel said Sangeen disclosed that Haseeb accompanied him on May 23 when Abdullah Younis, Saad Jamil, Sayaab Gul and Shiraz of the same village intercepted them and assaulted him (Sangeen) one after another.

He said Haseeb told culprits that he would inform Sangeen’s father about the assault, so one of them, Abdullah Younis, smashed his head with a heavy stone, while the others attacked him with stones before strangling him.

The RPO said the accused later dumped the body in bushes under a bridge. Referring to the postmortem report, he denied that the minor boy was sexually assaulted before being killed.

He said Haseeb was killed to do away with the evidence of Sangeen’s gang rape. Mr Babakhel said the medical examination of Sangeen Jan confirmed sexual assault, while the police registered a case against the four accused under section 377/34 of PPC on his complaint. He said the accused, who had confessed to the crime, would be produced in the court on Friday.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2019