SARGODHA: A seven-year-old girl was found murdered following an alleged attempted assault in Sargodha.
The young girl, a resident of Block 8, had stepped out of her home to buy sugar from a nearby grocery store just a few paces away. She never returned.
Hours later, her blood-soaked body was discovered in a room above the very shop she had visited.
The family members said Minahil’s mother was preparing tea at home and had sent the child to the nearby store to fetch sugar.
When the girl did not return after an unusually long time, her family grew anxious and began searching. Neighbours, relatives and local residents joined the effort, but there was no trace of the child.
Upon receiving the report, police sprang into action and reviewed footage from CCTV cameras installed in the area.
The footage showed Minahil entering the grocery store but never exiting. Acting on this lead, law enforcement searched the shop and the rooms above it and found the child’s body.
Police officials stated that preliminary investigations revealed that a store employee had allegedly attempted to assault the girl. When she resisted and raised an alarm, the suspect killed her.
Evidence was collected from the scene and CCTV footage helped authorities track down those involved.
City Police Station registered a case based on a complaint filed by the victim’s father, naming four individuals, including the prime suspect, Arslan. According to the First Information Report (FIR), Arslan had previously been involved in a dispute with Minahil’s father and had threatened to make him “remember the consequences for the rest of his life.” The rape and murder followed those threats.
Sargodha police arrested the primary suspect, Arslan, along with three accomplices.
The case was registered at City Police Station under charges of murder and other relevant legal provisions. The investigation was subsequently transferred to the Crime Investigation Department (CCD).
The CCD produced all four arrested suspects before Senior Civil Judge Chaudhry Imran Ali, where the court remanded them to police custody for six days of physical interrogation.
Police officials have stated that the investigation is proceeding on all fronts and that those responsible will face stringent legal consequences.
District Police Officer Sargodha, Muhammad Suhaib Ashraf, said in a statement that individuals involved in such heinous crimes deserve no leniency and would be brought to justice through exemplary punishment.
News Published in Express Tribune on June 24th, 2026.
