RAWALPINDI: The prime suspect in the Arshman Akhtar murder case was killed in an alleged encounter with the police, police said on Thursday.

Four-year-old Arshman Akhtar’s body was found in a pond in Rawat in November last year after going missing from a wedding.

A police spokesman said that the suspect who allegedly kidnapped the child by luring him with sweets was apprehended by the Crime Control Department (CCD).

“While the suspect was being taken for identification, his accomplices opened fire on the CCD team in an attempt to set him free. During the crossfire, the detained suspect, Atif Ali, 17, was injured and later died from his injuries, the spokesman said. He added that after the CCD took over the investigation, the entire area was re-examined.

More than 40 suspects were questioned during the probe, and three were shortlisted and interrogated. The accused, Atif, reportedly made shocking revelations about his crime, the spokesman said.

“The accused also revealed that he had abused other children,” he said, adding that strict checking had been initiated to arrest the suspects who fled after the firing.

Separately, Omer Rauf, the missing boy’s uncle, told Dawn that according to the police investigation, Arshman was sick when he was kidnapped. The accused took him to a dilapidated house, attempted to treat his fever, but the boy did not recover and died.

The accused later placed the body on a motorcycle and dumped it in a ditch. “He disclosed during the investigation that he had kidnapped the boy because he looked pretty,” the uncle said. He added that after the arrest, the CCD called the boy’s mother to inform her about the development.

A police official close to the investigation told Dawn that, since the body was found 47 days after the disappearance, it was decomposed and the exact cause of death could not be determined.

However, the doctor’s report stated that the possibility of sodomy could not be ruled out.

Published in Dawn, July 18th, 2025