Ten-Year-Old Boy Found Strangled Inside Makeshift Hut in Rawalpindi

RAWALPINDI: A 10-year-old boy was found strangled to death under mysterious circumstances inside his family’s makeshift hut in the New Chakra area of Rawalpindi, police officials confirmed on Friday. The victim, identified as Khurram Ali, was allegedly murdered while his parents were away earning a livelihood in the city’s bustling Saddar Bazaar, raising serious security concerns in the locality.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) registered at the Naseerabad police station by the victim’s father, Mohammad Bilal, a flower vendor, the family lived in a temporary tent on a small plot of land. Bilal stated that he, his wife, and two daughters had left for work on Thursday afternoon, leaving his eldest son behind. Upon receiving an emergency call around 7:00 PM, Bilal rushed back to find his son’s lifeless body laid on a traditional charpai inside the hut.

The FIR further reveals a chilling encounter by the victim’s maternal uncles, who reported seeing a suspicious individual fleeing the makeshift dwelling just before the discovery. Upon entering the tent, they found the young boy hanging by a piece of cloth tied to a wooden beam. This tragic incident highlights the extreme vulnerability of impoverished families and informal settlers in urban centers, who often lack basic security and are forced to leave minors unattended to secure daily wages.

Rawalpindi police have launched a comprehensive investigation into the suspected homicide, collecting forensic evidence from the crime scene. Authorities stated that special teams have been formed to trace and apprehend the unidentified suspect spotted fleeing the location. The body has been shifted to a local hospital for a post-mortem examination to determine the exact cause of death as the community demands swift justice.