Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif addressed a press conference in Lahore Tuesday night to formally announce the arrest of a key suspect in the rape and murder case of six-year-old Zainab Amin.
Zainab's suspected murderer and rapist is a 24-year-old man named Imran Ali, Sharif announced. The suspect is a serial killer based in Kasur who is accused of raping and murdering 6-7 girls over the course of two years.
A photo of the suspect, Imran, that has been circulating on the internet.
"Our collective effort has borne fruit and the murderer has been arrested," a triumphant Sharif announced to loud applause.
The Punjab CM thanked various ministers, officials and civilian and military intelligence agencies for tracking down the rapist after a 14-day effort.
He said DNA samples from 1,150 people were profiled and once the culprit was caught, his DNA match was a "100 per cent" with the evidence collected from the crime scene.
Sharif also said the suspect was given a polygraph test earlier today, which leaves only 5pc doubt as to his culpability. He said the suspect had "accepted all of his deeds".
The case "is an example for the nation that when we unite, we can achieve anything", Sharif said.
He said while the first phase of the investigation has been completed with the identification of the suspect, the second was to bring the culprit to justice.
"If it were up to me, as a person who understands some of [Zainab's father's] pain, I would want him hanged on the chowk [square]," the chief minister said, adding that he will request the chief justice of Lahore High Court (LHC) to ensure that the culprit is made an example of.
"If the law allows, he [the rapist] should be hanged at the square."
Residents surround suspect's house
Earlier in the day, Kasur turned tense as residents surrounded the house of a suspect police said they had arrested in connection with Zainab's rape and murder.
According to police sources, the suspect's DNA matches samples taken from the crime scene, but the Punjab government had left it to chief minister to make a formal announcement.
As a mob began gathering the suspect's house, police also reached the area urging people to remain calm in order to avoid any untoward incident. Television footage showed a contingent of police in riot gear deployed to secure the surrounding area.
According to police sources, the suspect arrested today is a resident of the same area where Zainab's house is located, and lives very close to the victim's aunt's house.
Read more: New CCTV footage shows suspect walking near house of Zainab's maternal aunt
His appearance matches that of an individual seen with Zainab in CCTV footage recovered by police, according to the sources.
He was arrested as part of the investigation much earlier, but was let go, the sources said, following which he fled Kasur.
Malik Ahmed Khan, a spokesperson for the Punjab government, told
DawnNews that the suspect had now been arrested from Pakpattan.
"We have found some initial evidence [against the suspect] and there is well-found reason to believe that he is the culprit," the spokesperson said.
Khan, citing police, said that the suspect used to frequently disguise his appearance. "Sometimes he would keep a beard, sometimes he would wear spectacles, and he would change his clothes," Khan said, adding that some of the suspect's accomplices are also in police custody.
The provincial government spokesperson added that a detailed forensic report would be available at 7pm, after which he would be able to confirm the reports regarding a DNA match. He said all details would be shared with the media then.
He said that all other suspects who had been arrested earlier were released when DNA reports cleared them.
On January 4, Zainab had gone missing after leaving her house on Kasur's Road Kot area for her maternal aunt's house a few minutes away for religious lessons.
A few days later, the victim's body was recovered from a trash heap. An autopsy confirmed that she was strangled to death. It also suggested that she had been raped before being killed.
Police had confirmed on January 13 that the results of DNA tests carried out in the wake of the rape and murder of Zainab in Kasur, indicated the involvement of one culprit in at least seven similar cases that occurred in the district over the past year.
Zainab's rape and murder had sparked outrage in Kasur and across the country. The day her body was found, protesters had taken to the streets in Kasur, agitating against perceived police inaction.
The police had gone into overdrive, scrambling for leads to solve the heinous crime. Earlier, the investigation team formed to probe the crime had arrested a 23-year-old suspect. However, he was
releasedafter a DNA report cleared him.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1384759/zainabs-murderer-has-been-arrested
