Zainab murder case: Suspect Imran's confessional video surfaces
The accused further admitted to have raped Kainat who is under treatment in Children Hospital.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Alleged rapist and murderer of seven-year-old Zainab, Imran Ali has confessed to kidnap the girl luring her to meet her parents, who were in Saudi Arabia at that time.
In a statement recorded to police officers, Imran said Zainab frequently asked that where were they going and he satisfied the girl by saying that they have forgotten their way.
Joint Investigation Team (JIT) revealed that Imran abducted Zainab at 6.45pm and took her to heap of garbage due to fear of detention. The accused further admitted to have raped Kainat who is under treatment in Children Hospital.
Earlier, the suspect was given in police’s custody on a 14-day physical remand after he was presented before anti-terrorism court in Lahore.
Prosecutor told the court today that the 24-year-old suspect used to lure children using eatables and rape them before murdering them. He added that his DNA sample matched with those collected off as many as eight minors in Kasur including late Zainab.
The arrest
Imran was held some 14 days into the probe and was earlier arrested during preliminary investigation on January 9 but was released after he ‘suffered’ of a attack.
Two brothers and five sisters of the suspect were also detained while his house was shut as the locals attempted to set it on fire. Sources privy to the investigators revealed that the alleged culprit had shaved off his beard after CCTV footages were widely broadcast on national television channels before his identification.
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He had fled to Pakpattan after Zainab’s murder case was reported nationally and to Arifwala from there before returning to hometown days later.
Police detained six alleged accomplices of Imran, out of which four were revealed to have helped him hide in their houses while one agreed to become an approver.
Seven-year-old raped and murdered
Zainab was raped and murdered after abducted on January 4. Her body was found from a heap trash on January 9 in Kasur when her parents were in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.
The guardians complained upon return that late Zainab had gone missing at least five days ago and the police did not cooperate with the relatives, who were looking for the missing minor.
Zainab had marks of torture on nose, neck, and other parts of the body – according to the autopsy. The samples collected from her clothes and body were sent to forensic laboratory.
Two people were killed in Kasur the day after Zainab’s body was recovered when police fired at hundreds of angry protesters, who said negligence on the part of the authorities was behind the repeated killings.
Later, a joint investigation team (JIT) was formed to probe the murder case that collected data of 300 mobile phone numbers and six of them were marked for further investigation. Three footages were also emerged showing a suspect roaming with the victim.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar had also taken suo motu notice of the case. During the hearing, the apex court expressed dissatisfaction over police’s investigation and said it should also use conventional methods as well instead of only depending upon DNA samples.
A total of 1,764 cases of child abuse were reported across Pakistan in the first six months of 2017, according to Sahil, an organization that works on child protection.
In 2016, the total number of reported child abuse cases was 4,139, or around 11 new cases reported per day.
Zainab’s case has emotions running high in Pakistan and the normally taboo subject of child abuse being discussed widely on local television.
