The DPO says the meeting took place when the CCD took the main accused to recover weapons allegedly used in crime
SARGODHA:
The main suspect in the alleged rape and murder of seven-year-old Muntaha Zahra was killed in an encounter in Sargodha on Wednesday, district police spokesman Khurram confirmed while speaking to Express Pakinomist.
Muntaha had allegedly been raped and murdered inside a grocery store a day earlier. Police later arrested four suspects and produced them before Senior Civil Judge Chaudhry Imran Ali, who remanded them in police custody for six days for physical questioning. Police officials said preliminary investigations indicated that a store employee had allegedly attempted to assault the girl. When she resisted and raised the alarm, the suspect killed her.
According to Khurram, the encounter took place when officials of the Crime Control Department (CCD) took the main accused, identified as Arsalan, to find the weapon allegedly used in the crime.
He said suspected associates of Arsalan opened fire near the Jhal Chakian canal bridge while the accused was accompanying the CCD team, leading to an exchange of fire.
“During the exchange of fire, Arsalan was fatally shot by the attackers,” Khurram said.
The spokesman said the suspected attackers managed to flee the scene. “CCD officials have initiated an investigation into the incident and are looking for the accused,” he added.
The police had previously arrested four suspects in connection with the alleged rape and murder of the minor.
Read more: Four arrested over seven-year-old girl’s murder after alleged attempted assault in Sargodha
Murdered
Muntaha, a resident of Block 8, had left her home to buy sugar from a nearby grocery store and went missing, after which her family lodged a complaint with the police. After registering the report, the police launched a search operation and reviewed footage from CCTV cameras installed in the area to recover the missing child.
Footage showed Muntaha entering the grocery store but not leaving. The police first searched the grocery building and found the child’s body. The police collected evidence from the crime scene to apprehend the suspects.
The city police station registered a case based on the complaint filed by the victim’s father, who named four people, including the prime suspect, Arslan.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the main accused, Arslan, had threatened Muntaha’s father during a dispute and warned of consequences he would remember for life. Police investigated whether these threats were connected to the subsequent crime.
Later, the Sargodha police arrested the main accused, Arslan, along with three other accomplices after a case was registered at the City Police Station under charges of murder and other relevant provisions of law.
The investigation was then transferred to CCD.
