Rabia rape, murder suspects remanded into police custody

KARACHI: A local court remanded two suspects involved in the rape and murder of minor Rabia in Karachi’s Manghopir case into police custody on Wednesday.

Judicial Magistrate West remanded the suspects, identified as Raheem and Fazal, into police custody till April 25.

The six-year-old girl’s body was recovered from bushes near Northern Bypass on Monday, the investigating officer informed the court.

He shared that the girl had gone missing from the house at 1 pm on April 15 (Sunday), adding that the minor's grandfather had registered a case against three suspects for their involvement in the case.

On Tuesday, one person was killed and several others injured after protesters demanding justice for Rabia clashed with the police near Kati Pahari. 

A postmortem report of the minor revealed that she had been raped before being strangled.

Case against protesters registered

A case was registered at Karachi's Pirabad Police Station against over 150 unidentified protesters on charges of attacking the police and terrorism. 

Of the 13 persons identified and named in the case are local leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Six of the 13 persons have been arrested and a search is underway to arrest the remaining identified persons.

'Want justice for my daughter'

While speaking to media, Rabia's parents remarked that the murderer should be taken to task. 

"Two of my daughters went to the shop and only one returned," said Rabia's mother, adding "I want justice for my daughter."

My sister's murderer deserves the same fate as hers, Rabia's sister Ayesha shared. 

Rabia's father said that he was going to bury the body when the area residents convinced him to stage a protest at Kati Pahari. 

"I wanted to end the protest as the body was deteriorating in the heat," he remarked. 

However, he shared that the suspects arrested by the police after protest also includes girl's maternal uncle Raheem Buksh. 

Inquiry committee to investigate case: Siyal

Interior Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal, who visited Rabia’s parents earlier in the day, shared that an inquiry committee has been constituted to investigate the death of a protester at Kati Pahari.

He remarked that the girl's grandfather told us that he had filed the FIR, adding “there was no point of protest after the case had been registered.”

The girl's family has yet to give the name of an unidentified person, he said.

Siyal further remarked that people attempted to make the incident political, adding that strict action should be taken against those who engaged in mob violence. 

On the other hand, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Haleem Adil Sheikh criticised the police action against the protesters. 

While speaking to media after meeting Rabia's parents, Sheikh said that the police registered a wrong FIR after the case. "The SHO is responsible for the death of a protester. He should be fired immediately," he said. 

Sheikh said that the police opened fire on unarmed protesters, adding that PTI will stage a protest if the officers responsible for the incident are not arrested.