ATC extends physical remand of suspect in Zainab rape, murder case

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday extended physical remand of the suspected serial killer and rapist in a case pertaining to the rape and murder of little Zainab in Kasur.

Police produced suspect Imran Ali before the court before expiry of his 14-day remand and requested for extension in his remand for further investigation.

Subsequently, the court handed over his custody to the police and directed the investigating officer to present him on next hearing along with a progress report.

On January 24, the ATC remanded the suspected killer of minor girl in police custody for interrogation for 14 days.

Zainab was abducted on January 04 from Kasur’s Kot Road area. Five days after her disappearance, she was found raped, dead and buried in a garbage dump on Jan 09.

The grisly rape and murder of the minor outraged the entire nation, sparking violent protests in Kasur city.

The suspect was arrested after hectic efforts by almost all law enforcement and spy agencies. A large number of suspects were interrogated and their DNA tests were carried out to find the culprit.

Suspect Imran is also being interrogated in the light of the claims of television anchor Dr Shahid Masood that he was a part of an international child pornography ring and operated as many as 37 foreign currency bank accounts.

At the previous hearing of the Zainab murder case, the apex court had formed a committee to probe the anchor’s claims and asked him to come up with evidence to prove them.