Asma rape-murder case: Suspect's DNA matches samples sent by KP police
The name of the suspect whose DNA has matched has not been announced yet
February 06, 2018
LAHORE/PESHAWAR: A DNA sample from one of the suspects has been found to match the remains collected from the body of Asma, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Tuesday – the latest development in the ongoing investigation into the rape and murder of the minor girl in Mardan.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had sent DNA samples of 145 suspects to the Punjab Forensic Science Laboratory for DNA testing, Sanaullah said in a press conference in Lahore.
One of the suspects' DNA sample has matched the DNA remains of the deceased minor, he said.
The name of the suspect in question has not been announced by the authorities yet, for fear that he may flee the country.
However, the police have taken two of Asma's relatives into custody by the local police. A large number of relatives gathered outside Asma's house following the arrests.
Following the DNA match, the Punjab government contacted the KP government and sent it a report of the latest development.
“The family of the deceased told media that they found the body from the field, police came a day later," the provincial law minister said.
"KP IG tried to dilute the case, the police cordoned their home so that the family can't speak to anyone. No action has been taken against even the constable of the locality for the negligence."
Sanaullah said that some officials even tried to create the perception that she died from natural causes. "But now you can see the DNA has matched," he added.
"The lab has handed over the report to KP police. On the government level, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has strictly directed to not take any political mileage, but contrary to that you can see what they have done in Kasur," he said.
Asma was reported missing from the Gujjar Garhi area in Mardan on January 13 and recovered dead the next day from the nearby sugarcane fields.
Dr Ashraf Tahir — the director general of the Punjab Forensic Science Agency — had earlier said the DNA tests conducted on the samples obtained from the deceased’s body and the crime scene proved that the minor girl was sexually assaulted before her death.
