GUJAR KHAN: A seven-year-old girl, who went missing on Sunday, was found strangled to death and allegedly sexually assaulted in an under-construction house located in her neighbourhood in the limits of Mandra police of Gujar Khan.

Police have registered a case on the complaint of the victim’s father.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), the complainant said they were celebrating Easter with family and relatives and his daughter was playing outside the house when she went missing at around 3pm on Sunday.

While searching for the girl, the relatives entered a deserted under-construction building in the same area at 10pm and found her dead in a washroom. Her trouser was found on the stairs of the building. He alleged that someone had strangled her daughter to death after sexually assaulting her.

Following the report, a contingent of police under the supervision of ASP Gujar Khan Syed Danial Hassan reached the spot and started an investigation.

When contacted by Dawn, the ASP said the body was shifted to the THQ hospital for postmortem while samples were collected by Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) from the incident site and the body of the victim and sent to laboratory.

He said a team of expert investigators from different police stations had been formed to probe the case.

In reply to a question, he said the postmortem report was still awaited to reach a conclusion, confirming, however, that the girl was strangled to death. He said construction work on the house was stalled for many months.

Meanwhile, SSP Investigations Rawalpindi Saba Sattar also visited the crime scene on Monday and directed the police to trace and arrest the culprits.

In a statement, the SSP said some suspected individuals had been taken into custody. She also visited the family of the victim.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2025