A six-year-old boy who had been reported missing from the Napier area was found murdered late on Tuesday night, prompting a police investigation into the shocking incident and the detention of a suspect.
SSP Farrukh Raza, chief District City police, said on Wednesday that six-year-old Wali, son of Abid, had gone missing from Punjabi Street in the Lea Market area on Monday evening. A case of the incident was registered a day later at the Napier police station under the section of kidnapping on a complaint from his father Abid Hussain, who is a rickshaw driver. He said that when he reached home after working hard all day, his daughter Mahnoor told him that Wali had been missing since 2:30pm and had not returned home till late at night.
After registering a case, police, family and local people continued to search for the child for two days, but to no avail. On Tuesday night, some residents were present near the house of the missing child when they heard the sound of a heavy object falling on the ground in a plot. When the people reached the plot, they found a sack lying on the ground. According to residents, the sack was thrown from a three-story building, and they found the body of Wali inside when the sack was opened.
After receiving information, police took the body to the Civil Hospital. Meanwhile, local people caught a neighbour, Hamza, from the three-storey building, tortured him and handed him over to the police. The news of the death of their beloved was a doomsday for the family. The mother said her child’s mutilated body was stuffed into a sack and thrown down from the building. Broken with grief, she said her child was taken away from her, and now the same treatment should be given to the suspect.
The father said he feeds his family by driving a rickshaw. After four daughters, a son was born, but the murderers destroyed his world. He said he had no enmity with anyone. “My dear Muhammad Wali was the youngest and gentlest of the five siblings.”
He demanded that the Sindh government, police and relevant institutions take notice of the incident and punish the accused severely. According to DIG South Asad Raza, the arrested suspect is a neighbour of the child. The initial investigation has revealed that the boy was raped and murdered.
According to Bilawal, a resident of the area, the police were repeatedly asked to open a locked room in Hamza’s house, but they showed negligence. The police searched all the houses in the neighborhood. According to Bilawal, two other people living in the house of Hamza are absconding, who have also been identified by the police.
The tragic killing has sent shockwaves through the Lea Market neighborhood, where residents expressed grief and anger over the brutal death of the young boy. The incident has also raised concerns about the safety of children and prompted demands for swift justice.
Meanwhile, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar took strict notice of the kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of a minor child in Karachi. He sought an immediate report about the incident from the DIG South. He directed authorities to submit a comprehensive report on the progress made in arresting the suspect and the status of the ongoing investigation.
The home minister instructed that all aspects of the case be investigated in a fair, impartial and transparent manner. He stressed that justice must be ensured for the bereaved family. Lanjar ordered strict and indiscriminate legal action against those involved in such heinous crimes. He further directed investigators to prepare a strong charge sheet based on solid evidence to ensure the accused receives the maximum punishment under the law. He also instructed the authorities to strengthen security and surveillance measures for the protection of children across the city. He said crimes against young children would not be tolerated under any circumstances.
