Gujranwala police have arrested a man accused of kidnapping and killing four people in separate incidents, after robbing them of valuables, with reports describing him as a serial killer after initial investigation. 

 

City Police Officer (CPO) Dr Ghias Gul said at a news conference that police recovered two unidentified bodies from the bank of a canal near Citi Housing Society on February 10. He said the bodies were of a 32-year-old woman and her five-year-old son.

 

“Both victims had been killed with a sharp-edged weapon,” the CPO said, adding that the deceased were later identified as Malaika and her son Muhammad Ahmed. A case of double murder was registered on the complaint of a police official.

 

Dr Gul said a special investigation team was formed under Superintendent of Police (SP) Civil Lines Imran Khan and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Hameed Virk. He said the team used modern investigation methods to trace the suspect.

 

“The suspect, Haroon Javed, was arrested while attempting to flee to Karachi from Lahore by train,” he said.

 

According to the CPO, the suspect confessed to killing Malaika and her children. He said the suspect also admitted to killing the woman’s eight-month-old daughter, Mubara, by asphyxiation and throwing her body into the canal.

 

The body of the infant was recovered from the canal on the identification of the suspect.

 

The suspect told investigators that he killed three members of the same family to snatch gold earrings worn by the woman. The suspect was a resident of the same Alam Chowk area where the deceased woman lived.

 

The CPO said the suspect also confessed to killing 13-year-old Rehan Ali from the Mado Khalil locality within the jurisdiction of Ladhewala police station on December 20. He revealed that he had kidnapped the boy to snatch a bridal dress from him and later murdered him.

 

A case regarding the kidnapping of the boy had been registered against unidentified suspects on the complaint of the victim’s father, Muhammad Imran, who runs an embroidery factory in the area.

 

Dr Gul said police teams worked on the case after the registration of the FIR and linked it with other incidents during the investigation. He commended the investigation team for tracing and arresting the suspect.