Sargodha police reported on Wednesday that the primary suspect in the murder of a seven‑year‑old girl was shot dead by his alleged accomplices during a confrontation with the Crime Control Department (CCD) after he purportedly fled custody.
He was alleged to have attempted to rape the child before killing her; her body was discovered on Monday inside a shop where she had been sent to purchase items, according to her father.
The suspect had been taken into custody along with at least three other individuals, who are believed to have been involved in the criminal acts.
Regional Police Officer Shahzad Asif Khan of Sargodha told Dawn that the suspect, accused of attempted rape and murder, was reportedly killed during an early‑morning encounter with CCD officers.
An FIR filed by a CCD station house officer on Wednesday stated that the suspect, who had escaped custody on Tuesday, died as a result of gunfire from his alleged accomplices.
Authorities have not clarified how the suspect escaped or whether he was accompanied by others, leaving key details undisclosed.
Sargodha District Police Officer Sohaib Ashraf confirmed that the three additional suspects arrested in connection with the case remain in custody.
The FIR also referenced a prior CCD report on the suspect’s escape, citing multiple sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including offenses of attempted murder, assault on a public servant, and resistance to arrest.
These sections comprise Article 302 (punishment for qatl‑i‑amd), Article 324 (attempted qatl‑i‑amd), Article 353 (assault on a public servant), Article 186 (obstruction of a public servant), and Article 34 (common intention), together with provisions of the Punjab Arms Ordinance of 1965.
According to the FIR, a police unit deployed in Mitha Lak received intelligence early Wednesday that the escaped suspect was standing on a road near Sem Nala alongside three unidentified individuals.
A CCD team arrived at approximately 2 a.m., observed the suspect and the others, and claimed that they opened fire on the police with the intent to kill before fleeing into nearby bushes.
In response, CCD officers took protective positions and discharged warning shots, as noted in the complaint.
The complaint further alleged that the suspects concealed behind the foliage and continued sustained fire toward the police, critically wounding Constable Muhammad in the left arm.
The document states that authorities repeatedly ordered the suspects to cease firing and surrender, but they persisted with their attack for about ten minutes.
When the exchange ceased, CCD personnel used searchlights to comb the bushes and discovered a deceased individual described as having been shot by his own accomplices; the other three suspects allegedly fled into the darkness.
The dead man was identified by a head constable and a constable as the wanted prime suspect; an empty pistol was found beside his body, and Rs700 was recovered from his shirt pocket.
The suspect’s remains were transferred to Faisal Masood Teaching Hospital for a post‑mortem examination, and items found on him were seized by authorities.
The FIR charged the suspects with opening fire on CCD officers with intent to kill and with killing their own accomplice, alleging cognizable offenses under the Penal Code.
The CCD, created last year, has faced criticism from human‑rights advocates and civil‑society groups for alleged extrajudicial encounters and a high number of fatal outcomes.
A February fact‑finding report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) claimed that the CCD appears to have instituted a policy of staged police confrontations that result in extrajudicial killings.
HRCP noted, citing press reports, that at least 670 CCD‑led encounters occurred across Punjab over an eight‑month period in 2025, with similar fatal incidents reported nearly weekly.
