Suspect in Pak minor’s rape, murder arrested

LAHORE: Pakistani authorities on Wednesday arrested a suspect in the rape and murder of a 7-yearold girl that ignited nationwide protests and outrage over allegations of government inaction, two police officials said.

Police found the girl’s body in a garbage dumpster in Kasur town near Lahore last week, four days after she was reported missing.

Residents of the area have said the murder was the 12th such incident in a year, and has fuelled fears a serial rapist killer might be on the loose.

Two people were killed in Kasur last week when police fired at hundreds of angry protesters, who said negligence on the part of the authorities was behind the repeated killings.

The two police officers told Reuters the authorities had arrested a man who was being treated as a prime suspect, after police had questioned dozens of people in the case.

“Evidence we’re getting leads us to believe that he is the man,” said one officer, who declined to be identified because he was not authorised to disclose investigation details.

Shahbaz Sharif, the chief minister of Punjab province, where Kasur is located, visited the town on Wednesday and held a meeting with officials on the investigation.

Sharif did not confirm the arrest in remarks to media, but said the police and other law enforcement agencies were close to solving the case, promising a breakthrough within “days or hours”.