Suspected killer of Asma arrested, confessed to crime: KP police

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police said on Wednesday they have arrested the prime suspect behind what they described sexual assault and murder of four-year-old Asma in Mardan.

Mardan Regional Police Officer Dr Mian Saeed said the suspected killer, identified as 15-year-old Muhammad Nabi, had confessed to the crime.

Four-year-old Asma went missing on January 13 from Jandarpar Gujjar Garhi area of Mardan and her body was found from sugarcane fields in the same area on January 17.

While addressing a press conference alongside IG KP Police Salahuddin Mehsud, the police officer said an accomplice of the suspect had also been taken into custody.

He said the suspect, who worked at a local restaurant, had come to attend a marriage ceremony, where he lured the minor into nearby fields.

Nabi, who is a cousin of the victim girl, strangulated her to death while trying to stop her from screaming.

The KP police chief categorically stated that this was not a case of rape, but a sexual assault and murder.

He said that his force tackled the case successfully within 25 days despite numerous hardships.

Defending the performance of the under-fire KP police, he said the province has witnessed a remarkable decline in crimes, including murders and kidnapping for ransom, in the last three years.

Acts of terrorism had also decreased by almost 73 per cent, he claimed.