KARACHI, Sept 11: The alleged rapist of four-year-old girl was arrested here on Sunday. The girl was sexually assaulted and subjected to brutal torture in a shantytown of North Nazimabad in the mid of August. She was admitted to the Civil Hospital Karachi in serious condition on August 30. Doctors said that her two arms and a leg were fractured. She was suffering from infection due to assault, and cigarette burns were found on her chest. Besides, she had lost sight due to the brutal torture.

The mother of the girl accused her son-in-law of subjecting the minor girl to torture and sexually assaulting her. Since the girl was admitted to the hospital, the alleged rapist had disappeared and police were after him.

On Sunday, the police took him into custody and started questioning him. The North Nazimabad Town Investigation Officer, Inspector Kunwar Asif, said that the police had picked Kamran Mazhar. He said that the suspect had married the elder sister of the victim in 2002. The couple were childless. Kamran went to his in-laws on Aug 14, and took the minor girl with him telling his mother-in-law that he would adopt her as daughter.

Mr Asif said that the suspect had been giving contradictory statements and the investigators were grilling him to know the truth. “We will also record the statements of suspect’s wife and his mother-in-law again,” he added.

SSP Investigation Zone-III, Mir Zubair Mehmood, said: “At this stage, it is premature to say that Kamran is responsible for the incident. We have some evidence and we will interrogate him and his other family members. It will take at least 24 hours to get the things clear.”

He said that there was a lack of coherence between the sentences of the suspect. “Either he (Kamran) had done it or he knows who had done it, and we will investigate it,” Mr Zubair added.

Earlier, Sindh Home Minister Rauf Siddiqui had visited

the Civil Hospital for inquir-

ing after the health of the

victim on Saturday night, adds APP.

He ordered that she should be shifted to the Aga Khan Hospital so that she could get the best possible medical care.

The minister also announced reward money of Rs500,000 for informer leading to the arrest of the suspect.

Meanwhile, he ordered suspension of SHO Shahrah-i-Noorjehan Police Station and Investigation Officer for their alleged negligence in discharge of duties.