DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A six-year-old boy was found dead in Parova tehsil after remaining missing for over a month, with police saying they were investigating the possibility of assault before the killing.

A police Official said the incident occurred in the Jhoke Masukhel village. The child had gone missing on Feb 13 after leaving home to buy an item from a nearby shop but did not return.

His father, Mohammad Ismail, said the family searched for the child across the village and nearby areas but could not find any trace of him. A missing person report was subsequently registered with the Parova police.

Police said that after days of search, the body of the child was recovered from a room used for storing hay in a sitting area near the house.

Officials said that the preliminary information suggested the child might have been subjected to assault before being killed.

The victim’s father appealed to the authorities to arrest the culprits at the earliest and provide justice to the family.

The police said that further investigation into the case was under way.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2026