July 14, 2025
By Iqra Manzoor
LAHORE
After a 16-year-old girl was discovered dead near her home in Malir, her family has demanded a transparent and thorough investigation in the case. The girl was found in a narrow street near her home in the Malir Extension Colony, in Karachi, on the afternoon of July 10, prompting a murder investigation under Sections 302 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed at the Khokhrapar Police Station, Muhammad Ahmed, the father of the deceased, Areeba, reported that he had locked his house and gone out with his younger daughter around 3 PM to visit a local wedding hall. Earlier his elder daughter, Areeba, had gone to visit his older brother Mustafa Hussain’s house. After returning home half an hour later, he heard neighbors knocking on his gate.
When Ahmed opened the gate, his neighbours informed him that a girl’s body was seen lying in the street, and they suspected it could be his daughter. Accompanied by the neighbors, he identified the body, which was lying face down near the house of another neighbor, Sohail.
Ahmed turned the body over and instantly recognized the victim as his daughter, Areeba. She had a white scarf tightly knotted around her neck and showed visible signs of injury and bruising on her face and head. A blood mark was also reported on her cheek.
Police arrived shortly afterward. SIP Imam Bakhsh, the investigating officer, documented the scene and transported the body to a local government hospital via ambulance. A postmortem was conducted, after which the body was handed back to the family for burial.
In his recorded statement, Ahmed claimed that his daughter was murdered by means of strangulation, and alleged that unknown individuals from the neighborhood were responsible. He stated that the culprits had dumped the body outside his neighbor Sohail’s house before fleeing.
SHO Khokhrapar, Allah Bachayo Rind told media in his prior statement that the victim’s father had suspected certain residents, and based on that, police took three men into custody, including two brothers living in the same neighbourhood. The arrested individuals include Muhammad Anas, Asad, and a third suspect.
Reportedly, Areeba was returning home from her uncle’s house, carrying a dish of khichri (rice) when the incident took place. Investigators recovered one of her sandals from the arrested suspects’ house and found the khichri in a plastic bag on their rooftop.
Voicepk spoke to Areeba’s elder brother, Areeb about the case.
“We were four siblings. Areeba had told me she was going to our paternal uncle’s house nearby to get food for our father and I had asked her to bring some back for me as well. I went to take a shower and within 45 minutes, my sister-in-law came rushing in and told us that some men on a bike had murdered Areeba.”
He added, “I went out and when I saw her body, everything seemed to go dark; I couldn’t process it.”
According to Areeb, the police had initially arrested two to three suspects but later released them.
“The DNA reports are still pending. Police come to our house every day, asking for the time of the incident,” he said. “There are no CCTV cameras in our street. Only one was found but it was not functional.”
He added that his family had suspicions about two individuals from the neighborhood and they have shared those with the police.
“Areeba’s body was found in front of an under-construction building. One of her slippers and the bag of food were discovered there, along with packets of cotton and gloves. But the owners of that building claim they know nothing about the incident.”
The Investigation Officer (IO) on the case, Rind, told Voicepk,
“The poor family had to go through a lot and we are trying our best to find the perpetrators—we will get to them soon,” he said. “Collection of DNA and evidence is in process. We cannot say anything about anyone before the complete investigation. The initial reports state that the girl was raped and had multiple injuries on her body. We are still determining the exact cause of her death as the final forensic report is yet to be received. We are on it and will get the criminals soon.”
The family continues to await forensic reports as the investigation proceeds.
This case adds to the alarming number of child sexual abuse incidents reported in Pakistan.
According to Sahil’s Six Months Cruel Numbers report, 1,630 cases of child abuse were reported in the media across the country in 2023. In just the first half of 2024, the report documented 862 cases of child sexual abuse, 668 abductions, 82 missing children, 18 child marriages, and 48 cases involving post-assault pornography.
It is to be noted that Sahil acknowledges that the data compiled by the organization only scratches the surface and that the actual number of cases might be higher than the reported cases in the media.