Peshawar court sentences child rapist, killer to death thrice

Representational image. — AFP/File

PESHAWAR: A court in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's (KP) capital of Peshawar on Thursday sentenced a man to death thrice after finding him guilty of raping, killing and then burning the body of an eight-year-old girl.

Child Protection Court Judge Hina Mehwish issued the judgment and also directed the convict, Asif Raza alias Malangay, to pay a fine of Rs1 million.

The girl's body was found in the Balukhel Bala area, falling in the limits of the Badbher police station on November 19, 2020 — a day after she went missing. The minor girl's family and residents of the area then staged a protest.

Top officials took notice of the horrible act and a case was then registered. The police arrested the accused on December 11, 2020.

During the course of proceedings, the police had informed the court that the accused had first raped and then killed the minor. Then, he burnt the body and dumped it in a graveyard.

The law enforcers also informed the court that several cases were registered against Raza at the Badabair Police Station.

Days before this incident took place, a four-year-old boy, Tahirullah, was found dead in the fields within the limits of the Badaber Police Station with his abdomen cut.

Five days later Aalya was killed and her body was set on fire in the Balokhel area of Badaber. The two incidents created an atmosphere of fear in Badaber and the rest of rural Peshawar.