RAWALPINDI: Family members of the 11-year-old boy whose body was found on Thursday and a large number of residents of Gulzar-i-Quaid staged a protest by placing his coffin on Old Airport Road on Friday, demanding the police to bring the culprits to justice.

Areeb Ijaz, a fourth-class student, had been missing since he left his house last Friday to fly kites, but he did not return home. Later his body bearing torture marks was found from the washroom of an under-construction house.

The boy’s father suspect that his son had been sexually assaulted and later murdered by some unidentified persons. However, initial postmortem report suggested that the boy was suffocated to death.

Due to the protest, traffic on the road was suspended, however, SP Potohar Division Syed Ali reached the site and assured the grieved parents and relatives of the boy that the culprits would be arrested soon.

Later, the boy’s funeral was held along the road. He was laid to rest in a local graveyard.

In another incident, a man gunned down his aunt and cousin in Saddar Bairooni area on Thursday night.

Police said the suspect was joking with his aunt over some issue when his uncle asked him not to do so. At this he got infuriated and took out his gun.

Police said the suspect shot his aunt and then his cousin, killing both on the spot. Police said raids were underway to arrest the suspect.

Published in Dawn, February 29th, 2020