A special court on Tuesday awarded the Chunian child rapist-murderer death sentence on three counts, along with a life sentence on one count and a fine worth Rs3.2 million, for one of the four rape and murders he had committed earlier this year. He has also been directed to pay Rs200,000 compensation to the legal heirs of the victim.
According to reports, the court awarded the verdict to the 27-year-old rickshaw driver over the murder of only one of the four children, whose remains were recovered back in September. However, the cases of the remaining minors are still pending before the court.
On October 1, the perpetrator Sohail Shahzad was arrested by police in a case pertaining to the rape and murder of four minors in Chunian, located about 70 km south of Lahore. Four children — aged between eight and 12 years — had gone missing since June this year with the latest, eight-year-old Faizan, disappearing on the night of September 16.
Soon after, the remains of three of them were found on September 17 from sand dunes near Chunian bypass. The discovery sent waves of shock and terror among the residents who protested against the continuous cycle of child abuse in the area.
Considering the matter was of grave concern, Prime Minister Imran Khan took notice of the incident, ordered an inquiry and overhauled the local police set-up.
Two weeks later, Shahzad was arrested after his DNA matched with samples recovered from the remains of a victim. During the initial questioning, Sohail confessed to sexually abusing and killing all four children.
Due to security concerns, the trial against the convict was held at Kot Lakhpat Jail. A total of 23 witnesses recorded their statements against the convict.