Sargodha Police rule out two murder suspects in Muntaha Zahra case

By Sarfraz Ahmed

LAHORE -- Sargodha police claimed two accused in the Muntaha Zahra case had nothing to do with the murder and that they were not present at the crime scene at the time of the incident.  

The inquiry report identifies Abbas, Azhar, and Arslan as the principal suspects in the case while Hanif and Ahsan remain under investigation, police sources said, adding that, according to CCTV footage, they, Hanif and Ahsan, were not present at the crime scene at the time of the incident.

The case is currently being investigated by the Crime Control Department (CCD).

Meanwhile, Sargodha District Police Officer Sohaib Ashraf told GNN that a preliminary investigation report into the murder of Muntaha Zahra has been submitted to senior authorities.

The DPO, who is considered a professional officer and investigator and has served the Counter Terrorism Department, further said 18 forensic samples collected from the crime scene have been sent to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) for examination.

The samples include DNA and other forensic evidence from five suspects, the alleged murder weapon, clothing, as well as material collected from the walls and doors at the crime scene.

Ashraf added that the forensic and circumstantial evidence against Arslan, who was killed in an alleged police encounter, was considered strong. Key evidence reportedly includes bloodstains on his clothing, an injury to his finger, recovery of the alleged murder weapon, and his alleged confession.

According to the post-mortem report, Muntaha Zahra died after her throat was slit with a sharp-edged weapon. The report also states that she suffered a severe head injury resulting in a fractured skull.

Police sources claimed that when the child raised an alarm, the suspect allegedly smashed her head against a wall, rendering her unconscious, before slitting her throat.

Authorities have also recovered alleged propaganda videos from the mobile phones of individuals accused of vandalising the shop following the incident.