LAHORE: A seven-year-old girl, who went missing on Sunday night, was found raped and murdered in Sundar area on Monday, police said.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (Investigation) Lahore Shariq Jamal Khan while addressing a news conference regretted that the minor girl was first murdered and then raped by two suspects, one of whom was her cousin. "What I want to confirm with deep regret is that the girl was murdered before the rape. And this makes this case very painful for us," the DIG said, adding that police have also picked up two suspected rapists who confessed to their crime during interrogation.

The police identified the alleged rapists as Rizwan, the victim's cousin, and his accomplice Allah Datta.

While narrating the crime scene, the senior police officer said that when the disappearance case was registered the police started questioning people of the area who revealed that they had spotted the minor with her cousin Rizwan.

He said when Rizwan was allegedly raping the minor, the second suspect, Allah Datta, was also present there and he is a criminal record holder and a declared "hardened criminal". "He (Allah Datta) is an accomplice of Rizwan in this brutal crime," he said, adding that autopsy and DNA test of the minor is being conducted and further information will be shared later.

When asked how the suspects, the DIG said that Rizwan while confessing his crime during the interrogation revealed that he had given 10 rupees to the victim and asked her that her father was calling/waiting for her. Hence, the suspects took the girl to the fields of "Kamad" and raped her, he added. To ensure the conviction of the suspected rapists, the DIG said they were securing all the evidence including DNA test results and they have also witnesses from the area. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar took notice of the incident and directed the police authorities to ensure punishment to both the suspects.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020