LARKANA: The remains of a girl, aged 10-12 years, were recovered from a dried pond near the Pir Kamal Qureshi shrine in the Ghaibi Dero area of Qambar-Shahdadkot district on Monday.

The victim was identified as Nighat, daughter of Abdul Hayee Jahtak Brohi, a resident of Masti Jahtak village.

The girl had gone missing six days ago from the shrine. Her family was on a visit to the shrine for rituals and blessings. They and the area police had mounted a hectic search to locate her but in vain.

On Monday, her decomposed body was recovered from the dried Rabari pond, close to the shrine.

The remains were taken to the Qambar District Headquarters Hospital for a postmortem examination. The hospital’s medical superintendent said that the girl’s left leg and arm appeared severed. Samples have been sent to a laboratory for a forensic examination, he added.

Citing circumstantial evidence, the police said that parts of the body were bitten by animals. It had also begun to decompose and emit a foul smell, they added.

However, the girl’s brother, Malhar Jhatak, suspected that she might have been killed by the shrine’s caretaker, Khanoo Khoso. The police picked up the suspect but let him off after interrogating him.

Malhar told the police that his family had come to the shrine six days ago for the ‘sukha ritual’ and were busy preparing food in a cauldron when Nighat went missing. “While we were searching for her, Khanoo Khoso kept telling us not to worry about her, assuring us that she would be found soon. But after sunset, Khoso started saying he had nothing to do with her disappearance,” Malhar said.

The police had earlier registered a non-compliance (NC) missing report on Malhar’s complaint.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2026