SARGODHA – The police on Tuesday arrested two suspects for sexually abusing and killing a seven-year old minor girl in Sargodha.
The incident spread waves of fear and anger in the local neighborhood in Sargodha, where a seven-year-old girl was reportedly assaulted and killed on Tuesday.
According to the police, the victim, a second-grade student, had gone to a neighborhood shop to purchase items when she went missing. Investigators believe two individuals employed at the store lured the young girl away. Following an immediate search by her family, the child’s body was recovered, prompting a full-scale police investigation.
The authorities confirmed that both shop workers have been taken into custody.
A police spokesperson stated that initial interrogations of the two detained suspects are currently underway, while forensic teams are actively gathering material evidence from the scene.
The body has been transferred to a local hospital for an autopsy, and the final post-mortem report will clarify the exact cause of death and the circumstances surrounding the crime.
SC commutes death sentence to life imprisonment in Sheikhupura school assault case
In a separate legal development, the Supreme Court of Pakistan commuted the death penalty of a man convicted of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl at a school in Sheikhupura, reducing his punishment to life imprisonment.
The detailed written judgment was authored and issued by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar. While the capital punishment was modified, the apex court maintained the remainder of the initial sentencing, which includes a financial penalty of 300,000 rupees, an additional six-month prison term for non-payment, and a directive under the Anti-Rape Act requiring the convict to pay 100,000 rupees in compensation to the young survivor.
In the written verdict, the Supreme Court emphasized that ensuring the safety of female students within educational premises and during their daily commutes is a fundamental responsibility of the state.
To address this, the court issued direct orders to the Inspector Generals of all provinces, as well as the Islamabad police chief, to intensify security patrols around educational institutions. The judiciary stressed that law enforcement must act instantly and without reservation when handling grievances related to the harassment of women and minors.
Furthermore, the court advised both federal and provincial administrations to modernize their medico-legal facilities, suggesting the Sindh Medico-Legal Act as a benchmark model.
The judicial proceedings revealed that the convict worked as a sweeper at a housing society school in Sheikhupura, where the assault took place.
Medical evaluations conclusively verified the physical injuries and trauma sustained by the student. The apex court dismissed defense arguments, clarifying that the absence of semen in the forensic laboratory findings does not invalidate the medical reality of the assault, and that the three-day delay in filing the First Information Report does not grant the accused the benefit of the doubt given the sensitive nature of the crime.
The judgment also strongly condemned the school management’s behavior, pointing out that the institutional staff attempted to cover up the assault by keeping the child inside the school and administering an intravenous drip.
The court declared that the school administration’s deliberate silence and delayed response would not be permitted to weaken the case or disadvantage the victim and her widowed mother.
Ultimately, the convict’s claims of an external altercation and wrongful accusation were dismissed as unproven.
Startling revelations emerged in Lahore gang-rape victim case who died during abortion procedure
