Seven detained in Karachi in Sarim murder case

Seven persons have been held by Karachi police on suspicion of being involved in the rape and murder of seven -year-old Sarim, found dead on January 18 in the city, media reports have stated. 

Among the arrested individuals are a cleric who taught at the madrassah Sarim attended, two residents of the boys' apartment building, a plumber and two watchmen. 

Police have confirmed that DNA reports of all the suspects are awaited to confirm whether any of them matches with the samples found on the child's body. 

Police have said that though an initial report suggested that Sarim was sexually assaulted before being killed, final forensic reports are yet to come in. 

Sarim went missing on January 7 when he went to a madrassah he attended in the same building that houses his apartment. 
The boy's body was found from an underground water tank in his apartment complex, 11 days after he went missing. 

Initial investigations suggested that the body displayed injury marks, dismissing possibility of the child falling into the water tank by accident. 

An autopsy report obtained by Dawn stated that there were 12 wounds on the body, only one of which was sustained after death. The report also said that though the child disappeared eleven days prior to being found, the body appeared to be only four to five days old, suggesting that the boy was alive for a few days after going missing.