ISLAMABAD: The prime suspect in the blind murder case of a 12-year-old girl confessed to his crime during police interrogation. The suspect is the victim’s own father.

Addressing a press conference, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations) Afzal Ahmed Kausar said the girl was found strangled in a washroom of a non-functional metro bus station on Nov 8. She was identified on Nov15 and over suspicion her father was taken into custody.

He acted suspiciously when questioned and failed to answer why he had not lodged a complaint when the child had gone missing. Mr Kausar said during interrogation he confessed to the crime.

Senior Superintendent of Police Investigation Attaur Rehman said the man “furnished a number of explanations over the murder.” The father of the girl said “she was a burden on him.”

CCTV footage helped identify the route of the man who came to the station along with his daughter and left after killing her.

SP Saddar Zone Nosherwan Ali said the victim was the suspect’s daughter from his first marriage, adding he separated from his first wife when the child was only three, he added.

The man, a resident of Azad Kashmir, would visit shrines along with his daughter and eat from langars.

Replying to a question, DIG Kausar said the CCTVs of Safe City only covered 30pc of the capital, adding the cameras were able to pick up authorised registration plates well but there was an issue and footage showing fancy or unauthorised registration plates was not clear.

A press release issued by police said the girl was assaulted sexually before murder.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2021