Prime suspect in 7-year-old Sargodha girl's murder case killed during CCD encounter, police say

SARGODHA: The Sargodha police on Wednesday said the prime suspect in a recent murder case of a seven-year-old girl was killed “by his accomplices’ firing” during an alleged encounter with the Crime Control Department (CCD) after he allegedly escaped police custody. The prime suspect was accused of trying to rape the girl before killing her, with her body being found in a shop on Monday, where the father said she had gone to buy some items. The suspect had been arrested along with at least three others, on whose behest the criminal acts were allegedly committed. On Wednesday, Sargodha Regional Police Officer (RPO) Shahzad Asif Khan told Dawn that the prime suspect accused of attempted rape and murder of the minor girl has been allegedly killed during an encounter with the CCD police early on Wednesday. A first information report (FIR) filed by a CCD station house officer (SHO) early on Wednesday said the prime suspect, who had reportedly escaped police custody on Tuesday, died due to firing by his “accomplices”. The details of how the prime suspect escaped from police custody and whether he was accompanied by anyone remain unclear, as the police appear unforthcoming in sharing their version. Sargodha District Police Officer (DPO) Sohaib Ashraf said that the three other suspects arrested in the murder case on Tuesday remain in custody. Wednesday’s FIR cited another FIR registered by the CCD on the escape of the prime suspect, which invoked several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), including those on attempted murder, assault to deter a public servant from duty and resistance to apprehension. The FIR recounting today’s CCD action invoked sections 302 (punishment of qatl-i-amd), 324 (attempt to commit qatl-i-amd), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in public functions) and 34 (acts done by several persons with common intention) of the PPC, along with provisions of the Punjab Arms Ordinance 1965. Th