3-year-old girl found murdered after kidnapping in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD - A three-year-old girl kidnapped in Islamabad was found murdered in a wooded area on Wednesday, nearly nine hours after she went missing on Tuesday afternoon, police reported. The girl was believed to have been raped before her death based on the physical state of her body. According to the initial report, the child went missing around 2pm while playing in the street.

Her mother discovered she was gone when she checked on her, prompting her to call the police at 11pm, registering a kidnapping complaint. Later, CCTV footage revealed a man had taken the girl away around the same time. The man, identified as the girl's brother-in-law, confessed to the crime upon interrogation. He was taken to the wooded area, where the girl's body was recovered.

Police stated that the man had strangled the child with a waistband, and the body showed signs of rape prior to the strangulation. The body was taken to a hospital for further examination, after which it was returned to the family for burial. The suspect was brought before a magistrate, who granted him physical remand. Vice President of the Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Sherry Rehman expressed her shock and grief over the incident, vowing that the culprit should face severe punishment as a deterrent against such heinous crimes.

She emphasized the need for strict enforcement of child protection laws and a zero-tolerance policy towards crimes against children.