Man who killed 13-year-old neighbour for resisting rape arrested: Jhang police

JHANG: The man who allegedly killed a teenage girl and stashed her body in a bori (gunny bag) has been arrested and confessed to his crimes, police claimed on Sunday.

The body was found stashed inside the gunny bag near the city's Sufi Morr area, police had said confirmed last Tuesday, with her bereaved family alleging that she had been raped before murder.

According to Jhang police, the suspect confessed to killing the young girl and explained that he killed her because she resisted his rape attempt.

Addressing a press conference, the district police officer (DPO) for Jhang, Hafiz Atta ur Rehman, said the suspect — identified as Asif — had strangled the 13-year-old to death while attempting to sexually abuse her and thrown away her body after putting it inside a gunny bag.

The DPO added that a team he had set up under the superintendent of police (SP) for investigation had arrested the man with the use of footage from closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, geo-fencing, and evidence from the crime scene. The accused confessed to his crimes during questioning, he added.

The police officer mentioned that the alleged rapist is the deceased's neighbour and worked as a dyer. Cash reward and certificates of appreciation would be awarded to the investigation team, Rehman added.

Asif's confession confirmed the claims made by the late girl's family, who had said at that time the 13-year-old had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted before being killed. The bereaved relatives had also protested in the locality.

Jhang police had said last week the young girl left home early morning to go for studies but did not return and that her body was recovered a few hours later, stuffed inside a gunny bag. The body was moved to the district headquarters (DHQ) hospital for post-mortem, they added.