SAHIWAL: An eight-year-old mentally-challenged child allegedly died of suffocation and heat after he apparently locked himself inside a car parked outside a closed workshop in the limits of Chak Baidan police station.

The police say the mentally-challenged child, identified as Ali Shan, 8, a resident of Sikander Chowk, Pakpattan, had left his house on the evening of Monday (Eid day) to collect sacrificial meat.

His body was found in the parked car the next day, after a passerby spotted it and opened the door with the help of a mechanic.

Initial police investigations found no torture mark on the child’s body.

The police say that it seems that the child accidentally locked himself inside the car parkedoutside the workshop and could not open its door.

The police have collected evidence and conducted a forensic examination of the scene.

The child’s family confirmed that he would sit in cars whenever he found an opportunity because of his mental condition. The family refused to file any complaint and also refused an autopsy of the body.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2024