Body found ‘four to five days old’ from death date: MLO report details sexual assault as cause of demise. A seven-year-old boy discovered lifeless after a fortnight in an underground water tank is now suspected by investigators for murder, following the revelation that he was sexually assaulted before his killing – according to findings from post mortem reports and Medico-Legal Officer Dr Ghazanfar Ali Shaheryar’s examination.
Incident Overview:
The young boy vanished while attending a madressah on the same housing complex where he resided, with no sign of him since his disappearance 12 days prior to being found dead in an underground water tank within said complex – as per reports by Pakistan Today. The child’s body showed injuries suggesting foul play and was confirmed not related to accidental circumstances but possible sexual abuse before death occurred, with a delay of “approximately four to five days” from the time he last breathed alive until his post-mortem report on January 20th.
Dr Shaheryar’s examination reportedly indicated that out of approximately thirteen different wounds discovered during autopsy – all except for one ante-mortem injury number four – and these injuries were consistent with sexual assault, marking a grim turn in the investigation into what was initially considered suicide.
Investigation Challenges:
There has been no tangible progress reported as investigators try to piece together events that led up until at least one week after Mohammed Sarim’s disappearance when his body was found lifeless and abandoned inside a water tank – raising questions about the timeline of abduction. Despite efforts, including interrogations involving three suspects in relation to these boys’ kidnappings, progress remains limited with no confirmed recoveries as per local reports by Dawn News.
Two young children Aliyan (five years old) and Raza were taken from their homes on January 14th – both being neighbors and friends who ventured out together for an unfortunate turn of events that led them away into the Garden area, where they last appeared before meeting with unknown kidnappers.
Karachi police chief Javed Alam Odho has recently expressed a directive during his January 20th review session to expedite investigations and assist families in their search for safe recovery amid these ongoing concerns over youth safety – highlighting the critical importance of resolving such cases as quickly as possible, according to Dawn’s report.
Recovery Efforts:
Forensic evidence is being cross-matched with DNA samples taken from a teacher detained in connection to the kidnappings and geo-fencing has been employed around Kashti Chowk – identified as one of Raza’s last known locales. The urgency for swift progress continues, despite challenges within investigation procedures that have yet to yield results since these children were reported missing 12 days ago by their families, with the boys themselves being nowhere to be found and any hope for safe recovery seemingly dampened amidst a grim circumstance surrounding Mohammed Sarim’s case.
Published in Dawn on January 20th, 2025.