KARACHI: A minor girl was kidnapped, raped and murdered in PIB Colony, officials said on Sunday.

The police said the girl was missing from old Subzi Mandi area for the past two days.

She was found burnt to death in the same area early on Sunday morning.

The kidnapping, rape and murder of the minor girl enraged area residents who staged a protest on the main University Road which caused traffic jam, upon which vehicles were diverted to alternative routes.

PIB police station SHO Shakir Husain said that around four to five years old girl’s burnt body was found wrapped in a piece of cloth at a garbage dump on a plot at around 1am on Sunday.

The officer added that minor girl was missing for the past two days and the police had registered her missing report on the very first day of the complaint of the family.

The officer said one suspect had been taken into custody for interrogation.

Relatives, residents clamour for justice, say residential areas have become crime-infested for five years

The body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre to fulfil medico-legal formalities.

The SHO said that the post-mortem examination of the body was carried out.

Protesters block main road

The incident angered the area people who protested on the main University Road near old Subzi Mandi by parking heavy tankers there and staging a sit-in after burial of the victim at around 11am, which continued till late in the evening, witnesses and police said.

Some youth carrying sticks and clubs were seen asking commuters to take alternative routes.

As a result, the main road from Hasan Square to New Town was closed for vehicular traffic.

PTI lawmaker Jamal Siddiqi, who joined the protest, told Dawn that it was a tragic incident that four and half year old girl was kidnapped, raped and later on her body was set on fire.

He revealed that the SSP investigation (East) met the protesters and informed them that one suspect had been detained whose DNA samples had been taken and sent to a lab at the University of Karachi to ascertain as to whether he was involved in the gruesome act.

The Sindh Assembly legislator said that he requested the protesters to clear the road for traffic as it was blocked till evening, but the protesters were angry and did not listen to him.

Crime-infested neighbourhood

Some protesters speaking on this occasion said that the areas near the old Subzi Mandi had been witnessing bloodshed and criminal activities since around five years while drugs were being sold openly in the area.

There was so much fear and lawlessness in the recent past that residents could not go outside their home even for a few minutes.

They said some peace returned to the area after struggle of locals and sacrifices rendered by several prominent noble souls of the area such as Altaf Khattak, Noor Zaman and Qari Mohammed Rahim.

They said that they had staged a sit-in for 10 hours on main University Road when Qari Rahim was killed by ‘drug peddlers’ a few years ago.

The speakers claimed that since past two months, drug sale had again started in the locality and alleged that the police and administration was ‘patronising’ it.

The protesters said that they had reminded the police and administration several times about growing drugs business in the old Subzi Mandi areas, but they had not taken any effort to eliminate it.

The protesters said when the tragic incident of baby Zainab had happened in Kasur in Punjab, the whole country had raised voice for justice. The protesters urged the people to join hands for providing justice to the family of the murdered minor girl in PIB Colony as well.

Post-mortem confirms rape and murder

The post-mortem examination of body of the girl was carried out by medico-legal officer Dr Zakia at around 5am.

Police surgeon Dr Qarar Ahmed Abbasi quoting the autopsy report confirmed that the girl had been raped before being murdered.

Dr Abbasi said that she died of head injuries caused by some blunt instrument. The body was decomposed, added the police surgeon.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2020