RAWALPINDI: Police have decided to conduct polygraph and DNA tests of five suspects already detained in connection with the death of a nine-year-old boy.

Naveed Khan, a student in the second grade, was found dead in the fields in Shah Khalid Colony, Rawalpindi, seven days after he disappeared on Oct 10.

Sources said that one of the suspects, who remained absconding for a long time, had a history of abusing children.

They said that the suspect had been missing from his home since the police launched a manhunt and they finally picked him up from Gujar Khan.

Superintendent of Police Potohar Syed Ali told Dawn that the police had also received the initial postmortem report which didn’t mention the cause of death. However, the final autopsy report will be completed after forensic report is received, he said.

Mr Ali said that the initial postmortem report did not verify whether the boy was subjected to a sexual assault.

Ajmair Khan, father of the deceased, told Dawn that the killers of his son would be arrested as the police had been using all tactics.

The police have also decided to launch an intelligence gathering operation by using young police officials in different guises and deploying them in a particular area to trace the killer.

The police said that they had detained five suspects who according to initial evidence had been connected with similar crimes.

It was stated that on the basis of evidences the police had been investigating a suspect who has reportedly apologised in various jirgas and panchayats (council meetings) in the past for such acts and was absconding since the recovery of body of the child. However, the police arrested him from Gujar Khan.

The police have also arrested another four men, including a local scrap dealer, who all have suspicious records.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2019