Sargodha police confirmed on Tuesday that the preliminary postmortem report of a seven-year-old girl, whose body was discovered earlier this week, indicates signs of sexual assault. The findings have ignited immediate outrage across the district, forcing officials to fast-track the investigation.
The minor went missing from her neighborhood in Sargodha on Sunday. Her body was recovered in a desolate area on the city’s outskirts within 24 hours. Investigators initially treated the case as a kidnapping, but the medical findings shifted the scope of the probe toward a homicide investigation involving sexual violence.
“We have the initial medical findings in hand,” a senior police official familiar with the investigation said on condition of anonymity. “The report points toward assault, and we are now waiting for the forensic DNA results to confirm the suspect’s identity.”
The victim’s family, currently in shock, has demanded immediate justice. Protests erupted near the local police station Tuesday morning as residents blocked roads, accusing the administration of failing to protect children in the area.
Police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against unknown suspects under sections of the Pakistan Penal Code related to kidnapping and murder, with additional charges for sexual assault expected to follow once the final medical report is filed. Forensic teams have collected samples from the crime scene, which have already been dispatched to the Punjab Forensic Science Agency in Lahore.
“We aren’t just looking for a suspect; we are looking for a monster,” a lead investigator told reporters. “Every CCTV camera in a three-kilometer radius is being scanned. We have detained several individuals for questioning based on witness accounts.”
The case reflects a recurring pattern of violence against minors in Punjab, often leaving families with little recourse and police struggling to secure convictions. While the provincial government has promised a transparent inquiry, the victim’s family remains skeptical, citing the slow pace of similar cases in the past.
For now, the police have deployed additional personnel to the area to maintain order, but the pressure to deliver results remains high. With the forensic report expected within the next 48 hours, the investigation faces a critical window before the trail goes cold.
