Teenage girl killed, body burnt in Abbottabad for helping classmate elope

ABBOTTABAD: A teenage girl whose gutted body was recovered from a vehicle last week was murdered for helping a classmate elope, police investigation revealed on Thursday.

The body of the 16-year-old girl was recovered seven days ago from inside a burnt van in Makol village near Donga Gali in Abbottabad district. Initially, locals reported that the girl was mentally unstable and may have attempted suicide.

But investigation into the case revealed that the 9th-grader was kidnapped from her house, sedated, murdered and then set on fire following a decision of a local Jirga.

Local residents had suspected that the girl helped her classmate elope with a boy she loved, police said. The same night, she was kidnapped from her house.

A graphic picture of the completely gutted body of the young lady shocked everyone this week after it went viral on social media.

A local resident, Abdullah, approached journalists to highlight the issue so that the family is provided justice.

“She was apparently kidnapped, raped and burnt alive after tying her to the back seat with a wire,” said Abdullah.

14 suspects arrested

On Thursday, Abbottabad police arrested 14 suspects including local councilor Muhammad Pervez, who presided over the Jirga, and the victim's mother.

Addressing a press conference, DPO Abbotabad Khurram Rasheed said that Pervez had confessed to the crime.

"Pervez called the victim outside her house on the night of April 28. He gave her something to eat which left her unconscious. She was tied, put in a vehicle and burnt," he said.

“The Jirga was not only illegal but also inhumane,” said DPO Rasheed.

The suspects were traced by their mobile phone calls, he said.

Police has filed a case under murder and terrorism charges.

Officials said that the suspects would be presented before a court today for remand.