Police say the suspect confessed to killing the six-year-old boy after allegedly sexually assaulting him.
A judicial magistrate on Thursday remanded the main suspect in the alleged sexual assault and murder of a six-year-old boy in Karachi’s Old City area into police custody for five days after investigators said he confessed to the crime.
The boy disappeared outside his home on Monday afternoon and his decomposed body, stuffed in a sack, was found near his house the following night.
Napier Police presented the suspect, identified as Hamza, in court under tight security and with his face covered. The investigating officer requested a 14-day physical remand, saying more time was needed to interrogate the suspect. However, the district judicial magistrate (South) granted a five-day physical remand and directed the police to submit a progress report in the next hearing.
Read: Suspect arrested after missing 6-year-old boy found raped and murdered in Karachi’s Old City area
Police surgeon Dr Sumaiyya confirmed that the boy had been sexually assaulted and had also suffered a skull fracture.
A case was registered at Napier police station following a complaint by the victim’s father. Initially, the police filed the first information report under Section 3 of the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2018 and Section 364-A (kidnapping or abduction of a person below 14 years of age) of the Pakistan Penal Code. However, the investigating officer said sections related to murder and rape were later added to the FIR.
According to investigators, the suspect was a neighbor of the boy and was known to the family. Police said the boy trusted Hamza and often asked him to buy him snacks.
Investigators alleged that the suspect took advantage of a funeral in the neighborhood on Monday, when many residents had gathered to attend a resident’s last rites, and lured the boy to his apartment.
During interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed to sexually assaulting the child and strangling him after the child began crying. Investigators further stated that he admitted to sexually assaulting the boy’s body after the murder.
According to investigators, the suspect told police he killed the boy because he feared the boy would be identified. They said he then put the body in a sack, wrapped it in a blanket and hid it inside a closet.
Police and residents searched the suspect’s apartment three times after the boy went missing, but were unable to locate the body, investigators said.
Read also: Kidnapped child found murdered
According to police, the suspect later became alarmed when suspicions grew among residents and joined the search for the missing child to divert attention from himself. CCTV footage showed the boy had not left the neighbourhood, leading investigators to focus on residents on the street.
Police said the suspect later threw the body from his apartment window in an attempt to dispose of it, where it was discovered by local residents. Officers said the suspect was alone in the apartment when they arrived.
During interrogation, the suspect claimed that other people were involved in the crime. However, investigators said they believed he was making false claims to mislead the investigation. Police are also examining his criminal record and investigating whether he may have been involved in similar crimes against other children.
