6-year-old murdered, raped in Karachi, police say

KARACHI: SSP Korangi Shahjahan Khan said Wednesday a six-year-old was raped and killed in the metropolis, while her body was found in a dumpster.

The police official said doctors in the preliminary medical report found that the girl, who lived in Korangi, was raped before being murdered.

SSP Khan said the girl came out of her house to play at 9pm last night, but when she did not come back home, the family approached the police and registered a case, at around 12am.

"The girl's body was found in a garbage dump at 6am today," he said, adding that eyewitnesses told police a rickshaw driver had left the six-year-old's body there.

Meanwhile, investigators said the child had ventured out of her house at night following a power breakdown. "The girl's father had left her to play outside in the alley."

However, when she did not return after some time, the family began to search for her, the team said, adding that the girl's body was found wrapped in a thick mat at 6am this morning.

"The body was found near a deserted school and a ground, where drug addicts are present," the investigators said.

They said the post-mortem of the girl had been done which showed she was raped and her neck was broken.

According to the investigators, the family has yet to register a case.

"Another girl from Korangi has gone missing. She was said to have a mental disability. We have begun searching for her," they added.

Following news of the incident, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail, expressed his sorrow and asked AIG Karachi to submit a report soon.

The governor directed police to catch the culprits as soon as possible and stressed that such incidents are "cannot be tolerated in civilised societies".

The girl's parents have called on Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah to ensure they get justice.

"I appeal to the chief minister that my daughter gets justice," the father of the six-year-old said.

The girl's mother, meanwhile, said: "My daughter had gone outside to play and when the electricity was restored, we started searching for her. We had also informed the police, but they came after a delay."