MARDAN: The father of Aasma, a four-year-old who was killed and dumped after being raped in Mardan, on Saturday demanded the culprit(s) be handed out the strictest punishment.
Talking to a private media outlet, Behram expressed satisfaction with the police investigation in the case.
The minor’s father said he works in Saudi Arabia as a labourer and returned to Pakistan on Friday, after receiving the news of her death.
Meanwhile, the police on Saturday announced a Rs500,000 reward for anyone providing information in the rape and murder case of Aasma, for aiding in the arrest of the suspect who remains at large.
The police put up posters seeking public’s help in the Gojar Ghari area of the district, where the victim resided with her family and was abducted from.
Despite six days having passed since the body of the girl was found in sugarcane fields, police have failed to make headway in finding the culprit.
Sources in the police said over 200 DNA samples have been taken while over 100 people have been rounded up for investigation in the case.
The four-year-old went missing from the Gujjar Garhi area on January 13 and was found dead in a sugarcane field the next day at 3pm after search efforts by the police and family. The police had joined the family’s search after being informed of the incident at 9pm on January 13.
After the body was found, an FIR was registered and Mardan RPO and DPO visited Aasma’s family on January 14 to personally record details of the incident.
The IG had said that an investigation team headed by the Mardan DPO was formed to probe into the case, and help from the counter-terrorism department was also utilised.
IG Mehsud had said that a daily report is being prepared in the case.
On Friday, Mardan police had arrested another six suspects in the case after interviewing a total of 116 persons.