Zainab murder suspect to appear before ATC as remand expires today

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LAHORE Feb 09 (TNS): The prime accused in the rape and murder case of Zainab, Imran Ali Naqshbandi, will be produced before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) today after the expiry of his extended physical remand.

Imran, booked by the police over charges of raping and killing eight minor girls including seven-year-old Zainab from Kasur, was presented before the ATC on February 6, a day before the expiry of his 14-day physical remand.

On the police’s request, the court extended the suspect’s remand by two more days, following the expiry of which he will again be presented in the court today.

Zainab was kidnapped from near her aunt’s house in Kasur on January 4. Her body was discovered in a garbage heap five days later.

On January 23, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a news conference confirmed that Imran had murdered Zainab, referring to him as a “serial killer” alleging his role in the rape and murders of seven other girls in Kasur in recent years.

After the police arrested Imran, the suspect reportedly confessed to assaulting eight minor girls at an under-construction site and two others in a garbage heap. He also admitted to murdering five minor girls at an under-construction site and throwing away the bodies of three others in a garbage pile, sources said.