HYDERABAD/NAWABSHAH: Women Action Forum (WAF) has condemned murder of a four-year-old girl after sexual assault in Tharu Shah, Naushahro Feroz, a couple of days ago and equally expressed concern over killing of the accused in a police encounter.

In a statement issued here on Friday, the WAF said that Dua Solangi’s body was found in a banana orchard in Kalhora Colony, Tharu Shah on Wednesday and she was said to have been molested before being murdered.

The killing of the accused in the case, Zameer Siyal, in a police encounter was equally worrisome as cases of killing suspects in such cases had shown a rise and such extrajudicial actions must stop, it said.

It said that the accused must have been examined medico-legally and their DNA should have been matched to prove that the suspect was indeed involved in the case. Besides, it would have proved that no staged encounter had taken place and evidence had been obtained against the accused, it said.

Accuses police of delay in launching search for victim

It said that had police taken timely initiative for the recovery of the girl such incidents could have been avoided.

It was unfortunate that despite receiving reports about missing children police did not make

serious efforts to recover them, it said.

It said that police should improve their performance if it was serious to stop such incidents.

Instead of killing the accused in staged encounters police were required to complete investigations into such cases to avoid extrajudicial actions, said the WAF.

Assault suspect killed in encounter: police

Naushahro Feroze police on Friday claimed killing the accused wanted in criminal assault and murder of a minor girl in an encounter.

Police sources said that the body of the suspect identified later as Zameer alias Zammu Siyal was shifted to Naushahro Feroze Civil Hospital where autopsy was conducted.

The post mortem on the victim’s body revealed that the child

was sexually assaulted and died from strangulation, said the sources.

The girl’s family registered a case after which police party led by Tharu Shah SHO Rafiq Bohio and Naushahro Feroze SHO Asad Nabi raided a place near Naushahro Feroze link road to arrest the accused.

The sources said the accused opened fire on police to avoid arrest, police retaliated and shot dead the accused who was later identified as Zameer alias Zammu Siyal.

The police claimed recovering a weapon from his possession.

The body was shifted to Naushahro Feroze Civil Hospital for autopsy.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2024