A local sessions court has awarded the death penalty to a man found guilty of the sexual assault and murder of a 15-year-old girl in 2022. Additional District and Sessions Judge (East) Naseer Noor Khan pronounced the capital punishment on two counts, bringing a definitive end to a legal process that lasted nearly four years.
Muhammad Irfan, who worked as a plumber, was additionally directed by the court to clear a financial penalty of Rs1 million to be paid to the grieving family.
According to the state prosecution, the teenaged girl was by herself at home on December 8, 2022, after her parents left for their workplaces and her sister headed to university.
Irfan managed to enter the premises under the guise of fixing a household sink before carrying out the fatal assault.
In his initial confession recorded by law enforcement, the convict admitted that a sudden ring of the doorbell interrupted him while he was inside the house.
In a desperate bid to muffle the victim’s cries and prevent her from alerting anyone outside, he tightly covered her mouth, inadvertently causing her death by suffocation.
Nearby residents managed to apprehend him at the spot before he could flee, prompting the authorities at Mubina Town police station to register a case under Sections 302 and 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Following the courtroom decree, the victim’s mother expressed deep relief at the verdict after spending years fighting for accountability. She recalled how several well-wishers had initially discouraged her from pursuing the legal battle due to a lack of faith in judicial speed, but stressed that her resolve never wavered.
The mother has now formally requested the authorities to execute the convict either in a public square or before her eyes.
