A man accused of murdering a six-year-old boy in the Punjabi Galli area of Lea Market has confessed to sexually assaulting the child’s body again after killing him.
The suspect, identified as Hamza, was a neighbour of the victim Muhammad Wali. During interrogation, he admitted to sexually assaulting the child first, and when the boy began to cry and scream, subjecting him to physical violence before strangling him to death. He then told investigators he assaulted Wali’s body a second time, after the child was already dead.
Police said that Wali called Hamza “uncle” and would often ask him to buy sweets from the local market. Hamza was produced before a judicial magistrate on Thursday, who remanded him to police custody for five days.
According to police, when a resident of the street died last Thursday, neighbours gathered together for the funeral. Hamza took the opportunity to lure Wali to his flat on the third floor of the building, where he carried out the assault and murder.
Asked about the motive, Hamza said he killed Wali because the child could identify him.
Police said that Hamza stuffed the body into a sack, wrapped it in a blanket, and hid it in a wardrobe in his flat.
Police officers searched the apartment three times after Wali went missing but did not find the body. As suspicion among residents grew, Hamza joined the family’s search for the missing child. CCTV footage later showed the boy had not left the area, which increased suspicion about residents of the street.
Fearing discovery, Hamza eventually threw the sack containing the body from his third-floor window, an act some residents witnessed.
The body was recovered two days after Wali disappeared, found in a sack near the house in the Napier area on Monday evening.
Police Surgeon Dr Samia Syed conducted the post-mortem and confirmed that the child had been sexually assaulted. The examination found fractures on the skull and marks on the neck.
The body had decomposed and was in an advanced state of putrefaction, indicating it had been concealed for some time. Samples related to the sexual assault have been taken and organs preserved for chemical analysis to confirm the cause of death.
During interrogation, Hamza claimed other people were involved in the crime, but police said this was an attempt to mislead the investigation.
The accused’s father and other family members have been taken into protective custody, with police citing fears that agitated residents could harm them. Police are also reviewing Hamza’s prior record and looking into whether he may have been involved in previous cases of abuse or assault against children.
A case has been registered against the accused at Napier police station.
