A 12-year-old girl, who had been married to her 10-year-old cousin for six months, was found dead under “suspicious circumstances” on Sunday in the Damorai area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla district, according to a police official.

Ali Hussain, station house officer (SHO) at Olandar police station, said that the incident occurred within the limits of Olandar police station in Damorai. According to the SHO, the boy was the girl’s mother’s nephew.

“My team and I visited the girl’s home, where her mother was reluctant to hand over the body to police for an autopsy,” SHO Hussain said. “We took the body to the Alpuri district headquarters hospital and conducted an autopsy.

The SHO added that the cause of her death would be determined once the medical report is received.

“We have confirmed that both the deceased and her spouse were underage,” SHO Hussain said. “The deceased was 12 years old and her husband was only 10.

“The marriage was illegal and the girl’s death is also suspicious.”

Police launched an inquiry under Section 176 (inquiry by magistrate into cause of death) of the Criminal Code of Procedure to determine the cause of the girl’s death.

Replying to a question, SHO Hussain said that after consultation with the district public prosecutor, a first information report would be lodged against the Nikah registrar and all witnesses present at the Nikah of both children.

The SHO said that both children’s parents would also be arrested and “justice would be ensured”.

Sahil’s ‘Cruel Numbers’ report reveals that a total of 1,630 cases of child abuse were reported from across the country last year.

In the first six months of 2024, 862 cases of child sexual abuse, 668 cases of abduction, 82 cases of missing children and 18 cases of child marriages were reported. Forty-eight cases of pornography after sexual abuse were also recorded.