Interpol arrested several members of a child abuse gang. PHOTO: PEXELS
A six-year-old boy who went missing two days ago has been found dead in Karachi’s Old City area, police confirmed on Wednesday.
The victim disappeared in front of his home on Monday. After frantic but unsuccessful efforts by family members and residents to locate him, a case of kidnapping was registered at Napier Police Station. Police said the child’s body was found in a bag near the old Haji camp in the Lea market area on Tuesday evening.
According to authorities, the victim’s family became suspicious of a neighbor and arrested him before turning him over to police. Deputy Inspector General of Southern Police Asad Raza confirmed the arrest, adding that the suspect had confessed to the crime. “Further investigation is underway,” he said.
Family members alleged the child was murdered inside the suspect’s residence. They claimed the body was mutilated, put in a bag and thrown from a three-story building.
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The family further accused the suspect of hindering their search efforts. “He refused to let us check his house while we were looking for the child,” one relative said, adding that the suspect also pretended to help in the search to deflect suspicion.
The victim’s mother, overcome by grief, demanded severe punishment for the accused. “We want justice. The killer must be punished the same way he treated my son,” she said.
The victim was the only brother among five sisters. His father, a rickshaw driver, said the family had no known enmity with anyone. “My son was born after many prayers. He was our only son and these cruel people destroyed my world,” he said.
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Investigators said the suspect told police he harbored a personal grudge against the child’s father. They further revealed that the suspect confessed to sexually assaulting the child before killing him. Police said the case remains under investigation.
