ISLAMABAD: Pakistani police on Tuesday formally charged Imran Ali with the rape and murder of Zainab Amin Ansari, and booked him in seven similar cases in which he allegedly targeted minors in the Kasur district of Punjab province.
The police brought Ali to a counterterrorism court in Lahore before the expiry of his 14-day physical remand period, and told the judge that the suspect had kidnapped, raped and killed eight girls.
Ali was a lone wolf in each case, said Mohammed Saleem, one of the investigating officers. “Other than DNA reports, we’ve also gathered circumstantial evidence in all eight cases,” Saleem told Arab News. “It will be helpful in the conviction of the suspect.”
A joint investigation team is working day and night to collect as much evidence as possible since “we’re not willing to leave anything to chance,” he said.
The investigators sought a five-day remand of the suspect, but the court granted them three more days for their probe
“The prosecution needs to prepare a strong case by collecting as much evidence as possible,” Sharafat Ali, a senior lawyer and rights activists, told Arab News.
“This will help ensure the suspect’s conviction in Zainab’s rape and murder case.” If the investigators rely solely on DNA reports, they could have a hard time in court, he said.
Afzal Shigri, former inspector general of police, echoed this opinion, saying several high-profile cases were thrown out of court on technical grounds because investigators failed to prepare a rational case.
“This case needs to be investigated from all angles,” he told Arab News. “It’s very important to determine whether the suspect was alone or part of a network before the formal trial begins.”
As for whether DNA is admissible evidence in court, Shigri said: “Our judicial system is still grappling with the issue.”
He added: “If the suspect in Zainab’s case is convicted on the basis of his DNA report, this may serve as a precedent in other criminal cases.”
Ansari was abducted on Jan. 4 in Kasur. Her body was found in a garbage dump five days later.
The rape and murder of the 7-year-old sparked nationwide protests demanding the arrest of the culprit.
Suspect in Pakistan child rape, murder case formally charged
Suspect in Pakistan child rape, murder case formally charged
Related
UK child killer Ian Huntley dies after prison attack: police
- Huntley murdered 10-year-old girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in eastern England in 2002
- He suffered serious injuries when he was assaulted at Frankland maximum security prison in the northeastern English city of Durham on Feb. 26
LONDON: One of Britain’s most notorious child killers, Ian Huntley, died on Saturday following an attack in prison where he was serving a life sentence, police said.
Huntley murdered 10-year-old girls Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in eastern England in 2002, in a case that horrified the country.
Fifty-two-year-old Huntley suffered serious injuries when he was assaulted at Frankland maximum security prison in the northeastern English city of Durham on Feb. 26.
He “died in hospital this morning,” a spokesperson for the local police force said in a statement emailed to AFP.
A spokesperson for the government’s justice ministry said the double murder of Holly and Jessica “remains one of the most shocking and devastating cases in our nation’s history, and our thoughts are with their families.”
Huntley killed the two best friends after they left a family barbecue to buy sweets in the village of Soham, Cambridgeshire, on Aug. 4 2002.
Their disappearance sparked a massive search involving hundreds of police officers and appeals for help.
A photograph of the two girls wearing matching Manchester United football tops became instantly recognizable to many Britons.
Their bodies were found almost two weeks later, dumped in a ditch several miles away.
Huntley, then a 28-year-old school caretaker, aroused the suspicion of police after he gave media interviews claiming to be concerned for the girls’ welfare.
He denied murdering them but was convicted at trial in 2003.
His girlfriend at the time, Maxine Carr a teaching assistant at the girls’ school, gave Huntley a false alibi and was jailed for perverting the course of justice. She now lives under a new identity.
Revelations that Huntley had been the subject of prior rape and sexual assault complaints led to the establishment of criminal checks for anyone working with children.
He had been attacked before in prison, most seriously in 2005 and 2010.
“A police investigation into the circumstances of the incident is ongoing,” the spokesperson said, adding that prosecutors would consider bringing charges against his assailant.
