Housemaid confessed to murdering 3-year-old boy, stuffing body in washing machine: police

QUETTA: Police on Monday claimed to have solved the murder of Saad Shah, the three-year-old who was found dead inside a washing machine here near the city's Lehri Gate area on September 12.

According to police, a housemaid named in the murder has confessed to killing the child after more than two weeks. She was in their custody on physical remand.

The maid told police in her statement that on the day of the murder, her niece was also with her. "I took out clothes and jewellery from the cupboard and put them in the shopping bag," she narrated.

"At that time, the child, Saad Shah, was playing with a tablet [computer] while sitting on the bed. When I snatched the tablet from his hand, he started crying.

"I tried hard to shush the child but he did not remain silent. I had no intention to kill him. I just got angry and strangled him," the maid added.

The suspect further explained that they "threw the boy in the washing machine filled with soap water" and tried to run away but were chased by the deceased boy's relatives and other residents of the area. Thereafter, the two decided to ditch the shopping bag and fled.

Police noted that raids were being carried out to find the maid's niece, who was still at large.

The housemaid had fled to her hometown, Lehri, after the child's murder on Sept 12 at a house near Lehri Gate on the outskirts of Quetta.

Authorities had contacted the maid through her relatives and called her to Quetta. She was taken into custody near Kolpur while coming to the provincial capital from Lahri.