Minor boy found dead in Toba Tek Singh after suspected sexual assault

TOBA TEK SINGH: The dead body of a minor boy who had left his home some months ago over a domestic dispute was recovered from, Gojra's Siraj Town, an area on the city's outskirts, authorities said Wednesday night, adding that he was sexually assaulted before his death.

According to a spokesperson for the Punjab Police, 10-year-old Rizwan was raped before being killed and his body hidden in the garbage dump on purpose.

The spokesperson added that Sadiq Ali Dogar, the district police officer (DPO) for Toba Tek Singh, had submitted a report in this regard to the inspector-general (IG) of Punjab.

The report noted that the minor boy had left his home eight months ago after a fight with his elder brother, Sufiyan, and despite searching left, right, and centre for him, he could not be found.

Three suspects — identified as Usman, Ghulam Nabi, and Abdul Ghaffar — had been arrested and were being questioned, the spokesperson added after a first information report (FIR) was filed given the strong evidence available.

The suspects, according to the report, confessed during questioning that they had raped the child before murdering him and disposed of the body by hiding it in a trash dump.

A search for the fourth suspect, Yasir, was underway.

Rizwan's body was recovered on the night of December 19 but could not be identified, which is the bereaved family had to confirm the identity by their son's clothes.

The initial evidence in the case has been sent to a laboratory for forensic testing and analysis.