‘I didn’t like her,’ 10-year-old boy kills toddler in Rawalpindi

A one-year-old girl, who went missing while playing outside her home was found dead in a sewerage line, with police confirming that she was allegedly killed by a close relative over a personal dislike. 

The toddler, Maryam, had been playing with other children near her home in Mohallah Qazian, Ratta Amral, when she suddenly disappeared.

Her parents began searching for her on their own, but when no trace was found, her grandmother, Musarat Bibi, reported the disappearance to the police and filed a case under the relevant sections of law.

During the search operation, Maryam’s body was discovered in the main drain of Dhoke Ratta on Thursday. Local police arrived at the scene, retrieved the body, and transferred it to the District Headquarters Hospital for a postmortem examination. An investigation was immediately launched.

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Police later arrested the suspect, identified as Azan Sultan, Azan Sultan, a 10-year-and-6-month-old boy, who lived in the same house as the victim. A local court subsequently ordered that the accused be transferred to the Child Protection Bureau.

During the preliminary investigation, the accused confessed that he had picked up the girl and submerged her head in the drain water, leading to her death. According to the investigating officer, the child reportedly said, “I did not like her.”

Police said they identified the suspect using CCTV footage, which showed him picking up the girl from the street and walking away with her. After the postmortem, Maryam’s body was handed over to her family.

Sources said that the victim’s father works for the Cantonment Board, while the suspect’s father is a drug addict. His mother has reportedly left him and returned to her parents’ home.