Police in southern Punjab have taken into custody a man accused of sexually abusing a three-year-old girl in the Kot Addu district, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said on Tuesday.
Sharif posted a photograph of the accused on X, identifying him as Lakhmir Bala. She said police tracked him using CCTV footage and detained him within two hours of the incident. Voicing outrage over the alleged crime, she said: “Look at his age and look at the heinous act he has committed. Heartbreaking.”
Vegetable hawker allegedly lured girl away from home
According to police, the man worked as a street vendor selling vegetables in the area. They allege he enticed the child away before assaulting her. The first information report, lodged on the complaint of the girl’s father in Chak 571 TDA under Sarwar Shaheed tehsil, says she had stepped out to play and did not come back.
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Her parents searched for her and heard her crying outside a house. The complainant alleged he found the suspect assaulting the child, and the suspect fled when he saw the parents, the FIR stated.
Girl under treatment at Nishtar Hospital in Multan
The child is being treated at Nishtar Hospital in Multan, where she is reportedly struggling to survive. Her family has asked senior officials and the chief minister to take action. Police said the investigation is ongoing.
Separate Rawalpindi encounter leaves alleged offender dead
In a separate case, police sources said a proclaimed offender accused of sexually assaulting children was killed in an alleged exchange of fire with a Crime Control Department (CCD) team in Rawalpindi. Sources said motorcycle-riding suspects opened fire on the team during snap checks on Devi Data Main Road, under the jurisdiction of Jatli Police Station.
The dead man was identified as Hammad alias Madu, a resident of Khadiyot in Kahuta. A pistol was reportedly found in his possession.
