The victim’s body was recovered from a well in the limits of the Fatehgang police station on April 20. District Police Officer Syed Shahzad Nadeem told media that the child went missing after he went to the mosque for prayers.
The DPO revealed that the child was raped before being strangled to death.
He further revealed that the police has arrested the prayer leader and administrator of the seminary who confessed to sexually assaulting and then murdering the child. He also confessed to having thrown the victim’s body in a nearby well.
Nadeem also said that the suspect was married with a child.
Cases of sexual violence and abuse have grown significantly over the past few years.
In 2017, NGO Sahil’s annual report revealed that a shocking number of 3,445 children were sexually abused in Pakistan. The report says 2,077 girls and 1,368 boys have been survivors of sexual exploitation. Nine children were abused daily, it says.
In 2018, the daily number grew to 12 children abused a day, said Sahil. The case of Zainab Ansari from Kasur brought an uproar across the country as people demanded justice.
The same year, the culprit Imran Ali was arrested and put to death.
On Wednesday, renowned Pushto singer Nazia Iqbal shared a video message on Social Media saying that she was being pressured to forgive her brother, Iftikhar Ali, who raped Nazia's two daughters.
Interested to know more? Read the full story: Pushto Singer Nazia Being Pressured To Forgive Brother Who Raped Her Daughters