KASUR: As investigators are racking their brains to track down the perpetrators in Chunian tragedy, the news of arrest of a suspect in Rahim Yar Khan on Thursday went viral on social media.

Police denied any conclusive evidence and said the man arrested was one of the suspects.

Police have arrested 21 suspects and carried out DNA tests of about 1,500 people after geo-fencing.

Another rape-cum-murder case surfaces

Kasur DPO Zahid Nawaz Marwat said Shahzad had been arrested in Rahim Yar Khan but there was no certainty that he was the culprit.

Sources said the suspect had been arrested after the DNA profile obtained from the body of Faizan matched with the family tree, leading investigators to Shahzad.

Mr Marwat who is head of the JIT established by the chief minister said there would be confirmation after the result of DNA that was expected within two days. He appealed to the public at large to avoid airing rumours, especially on social media.

The picture of the suspect arrested on Thursday went viral on social media. His family had left the house bag and baggage and he had been missing for the last many days.

The Chunian police had also lodged a case against unidentified people under section 365 of PPC for kidnapping Shahzad (the suspect arrested in RYK) on the complaint of his cousin Muhammad Ramzan on Sept 24. According to complainant, Shahzad, the father of four, was a driver of tractor trolley and did not return home on Sept 22 from work and his phone was not responding.

A resident of Chunian’s Taj Chowk, Shahzad had been living in a rented house for the last four months.

It is learnt that Shahzad had come from Mustafabad to live near the house of his in-laws.

According to sources, some family member of the suspect appeared before the JIT on Wednesday and told investigators that Shahzad was involved in assaulting minor boys.

Police cordoned off the house of the suspect after the news broke on social media to avert any untoward situation. The suspect is a driver of tractor trolley. The body and remains of two of the victims were recovered from the sand dunes near Chunian bypass on the identification of a tractor trolley driver on Sept 17 last.

Meanwhile, another rape-cum-murder case surfaced here on Thursday. Scores of people of Nainwal (Khudian police jurisdiction) staged a protest demonstration against the police for their failure to arrest the killers of 10-year-old Ibrahim. He was allegedly raped and killed three months ago. The pro testers holding placards and banners blocked Katchery Chowk near DPO office and chanted slogans against police.

They said unidentified people kidnapped Ibrahim whose body was later found and there were indications of rape and strangulation. They said police were using traditional methods to arrest the suspects and pledged to continue protest.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2019