HYDERABAD: The suspect in the murder case of two young siblings had subjected the girl to criminal assault before strangulating her inside an under-construction house in Latifabad Unit-10 on July 8, according to Hyderabad SSP Sarfaraz Nawaz Shaikh.

He told a press conference at police headquarters along with CIA DSP Aslam Langah and DSP Habib Shah here on Saturday that after killing the eight-year-old girl, the suspect injured her brother, Qadir Bux, 10, who died at the Liaquat University Hospital’s city branch the next day.

The police officer said that the suspect had confessed to having subjected her to criminal assault and then strangulating her. He said that a footage from the closed circuit television (CCTV) camera present outside the under-construction house was obtained by the police.

The SSP said that the footage revealed that the suspect along with Qadir Bux and his sister were seen entering the house. They came out of the house at around 8:30pm and the suspect entered the house along with the girl at 9pm while Qadir was not accompanying him.

He said that the suspect emerged from the house at around 9:37pm again, this time alone. During this period, he said, the suspect had gone to Unit-6 Latifabad Nursery Park with the girl and Qadir on the same motorbike. He dropped Qadir at the park asking him to wait there and he would be returning shortly.

The SSP said that as per electricity loadshedding schedule, there was no power supply between 5:45pm and 7:45pm in the area and their investigation showed that they all had first entered the house before electricity was restored.

This fact was also corroborated by the call data record (CDR) of the suspect’s mobile phone, he said.

Quoting the suspect, the SSP said that he had killed the girl after subjecting her to criminal assault between 9pm and 9:37pm. He said the suspect then took Qadir Bux to the Airport area where he stabbed Qadir Bux with a knife and left the scene, presuming him dead.

He said that suspect stated that he also caused injuries to the girl on her abdomen while strangulating her with her scarf. He said the suspect had claimed that one of his friends was with him while he had taken Qadir Bux to the Airport area.

He said that police were verifying the friend’s involvement.

He said that the relevant sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act were included in the FIR but it was up to court to accept this or not.

Qadir Bux along with his sister had gone missing after leaving their home in GOR Colony on July 8. The Airport police had found Qadir Bux in injured condition in the Kohsar area.

He was shifted to the LUH where he succumbed to his injuries next day. The girl’s body was found lying inside the under-construction house on July 10.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2019