Here is what we know so far about Zainab’s suspected killer

KASUR: Police have come forward with details of the prime accused in the murder case of seven-year-old Zainab, who was raped and killed a couple of weeks ago. 

According to police, the name of the key accused in Zainab’s rape and murder case is Imran Ali. The suspect was a neighbour of the victim and worked as a carpenter.

The accused has three brothers and four sisters and after Zainab was killed, he also took part in the protests to demand justice for her.

Watch : Emotional reaction by sisters of Zainab

He has studied till class four or five as per the details shared by police officials.

Zainab’s suspected killer’s DNA matches that found in eight previous cases in which he raped and murdered girls, according to the medical report.

According to details, the suspected raped and killed eight girls in a span of two-and-a-half years. All heinous crimes were committed within one kilometer.

Further details disclosed that the suspect had been living in the same vicinity and in the same house for the past three years.

The names of some of the girls who were raped and killed by the suspect are Ayesha, Zainab, Tehmina and Asma.

The victims were aged between 3-9 years.

Police and residents of the vicinity in which the suspect carried out his activities remained clueless regarding his alleged nefarious activities and identity.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah has urged the public not to jump to conclusions but wait for the forensic report to come so that all speculations could be put to rest.

Suspect claims he was under the influence of jinns

The suspect has claimed that he and his father were under the influence of jinns (supernatural spirits). However, the police have said that the suspect was in a mentally stable condition.

On Sunday, a special bench of the Supreme Court heard the rape and murder cases of Zainab and at least eight other children at the registry in Lahore on Sunday. The three-judge bench was headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar who presided over the hearing of the suo motu notice.

During the hearing, the Joint-Investigation Team (JIT) led by RPO Multan Muhammad Idrees presented a report detailing inquiry into the rape and murder cases of the Kasur children. The JIT found it to be eighth such incident within the jurisdiction of three police stations involving the same suspect as per DNA match in Kasur since 2015.

Nevertheless, the Punjab Forensic Laboratory sought more time to reach any conclusion. The court gave them another deadline of three days.

The bench had reprimanded the Kasur police for failing to take notice of crime when it was first reported in 2015. “If the police had taken first case that surfaced in 2015 seriously, eight young girls would not have been raped and murdered.”