A seven-year-old boy who had been missing for over a week in Karachi was found dead in the underground water tank of a residential complex near his home on Saturday and a police surgeon said the death was not accidental as The body had multiple wounds. .
In the last few days, three children have been kidnapped in the city and the incidents have created an environment of fear and insecurity among citizens, prompting the Sindh Chief Minister and Home Minister to take note of the abductions.
On January 7, seven-year-old Mohammed Sarim, who had gone for lessons at a madresah near his home in northern Karachi, went missing and a ransom call had reportedly been made to the family for his rescue. release. The Sindh governor had assured Sarim’s mother on Thursday that her son would recover “very soon”.
However, a statement from the Bilal Colony police today said that Sarim’s body was recovered from a water tank at Anam Apartments in New Karachi.
Central Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi said dawn.com that on the day the boy disappeared, the police and the victim’s family had searched the same tank but could not find it due to the large amount of water.
“For the last two or three days there was no water supply,” Shafiq said. “The plumber said today that a bad smell was coming from the tank. The body was found floating in it.”
The body was shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) for post-mortem report and further investigation is underway, the SSP added.
Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said dawn.com that the body was received by the ASH Medicolegal Section for an autopsy.
“He had been missing since January 7,” Dr Syed said. “[The] An autopsy was performed and multiple injuries were observed. “All relevant swabs and samples have been collected.”
He added that a conclusive opinion and the cause of death “will be issued after the reports.”
When asked if the incident was a homicide, Dr Syed replied: “At this point, all I can say is that the presence of multiple injuries on the body, including the neck, suggests that it is not a death.” accidental”.
According to an August report by Sahil, a non-governmental organization (NGO) working for children’s rights, a total of 1,630 cases of child abuse were reported across the country in 2024.
In the first six months of 2024, 862 cases of child sexual abuse, 668 cases of abduction, 82 cases of missing children and 18 cases of child marriages were reported.
The semi-annual data showed that of the total reported cases, (962) 59 percent of the victims were girls, while (668) 41 percent were boys.
