Relative arrested in connection with Farishta’s rape, murder

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Police on Wednesday arrested a close relative of Farishta – the 10-year-old girl whose body was dumped near capital’s Shahzad Town area after being allegedly raped, besides registering a case against three police officials for showing negligence in the case.

Reportedly, police have widened the scope of the investigation after the arrest.

A first information report (FIR) has also been registered against the Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Muhammad Abbas Rana and other officers.

Ghulam Nabi, Farishta’s father, registered the FIR at the Shahzad Town police station under Section 166 (public servant disobeying the law with intent to cause injury to any person) of the Pakistan Penal Code. According to the FIR, when Farishta’s family members visited the police station to report the missing girl, the SHO, instead of cooperating, alleged that she had “eloped with someone”.

Nabi also alleged that instead of registering an FIR, police officials continued to provide clarifications and explanations.

Earlier, police arrested two suspects on Tuesday in connection with the case.

The parents and relatives of the minor girl refused to bury the body as they protested at Taramri Chowk for the arrest of the culprits.

The protesters said to bury the victim after negotiations were successful.

The girl went missing on May 15, said her father Gul Nabi, adding that they approached the police fearing she had been abducted after they were unable to find her, but the police refused to register an FIR.

MNA Mohsin Dawar, who has been highlighting the case, also said that the victim’s parents had “continuously requested concerned police station for FIR but they refused”.

He confirmed that an FIR had been registered under sections pertaining to kidnapping (365-B, PPC) on Sunday night (May 19), after the girl’s body was recovered.