Prime suspect in seven-year-old’s attempted rape, murder killed in Sargodha encounter: CCD

The incident occurred just a day after the young victim, identified as Muntaha Zahra, was found dead inside a local grocery store.

SARGODHA: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-June 24^th, 2026) The Primary suspect in the sexual assault and murder of a seven-year-old girl was killed during an encounter in Sargodha, the local police said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred just a day after the young victim, identified as Muntaha Zahra, was found dead inside a local grocery store.

Prior to the fatal shootout, authorities had apprehended four suspects in connection with the crime. The individuals were presented before Senior Civil Judge Chaudhry Imran Ali, who granted a six-day physical remand to allow for interrogation. Initial findings by the police indicated that a shop employee had attempted to assault the child. When she resisted and cried out for help, the assailant took her life.

The fatal encounter unfolded when officials from the Crime Control Department (CCD) were transporting the primary suspect to locate the weapon used in the offense. While en route near the Jhal Chakian Canal bridge, unidentified armed associates of the suspect opened fire on the police convoy. A fierce exchange of gunfire ensued, resulting in the main suspect being fatally shot by his own accomplices' bullets. The attackers managed to escape the scene, prompting a massive manhunt and an official investigation by the CCD.

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The tragic sequence of events began when Muntaha, a resident of Block 8, went missing after leaving her home to purchase sugar from a neighborhood shop. Following a missing person's report lodged by her family, law enforcement initiated a search operation and analyzed local CCTV footage.

The digital surveillance captured the young girl entering the grocery store but never showing her exit. Utilizing this breakthrough, officers searched the premises and discovered her body, subsequently gathering forensic evidence from the scene.

A formal case was registered at the City Police Station based on a complaint filed by the victim's grieving father, which implicated four suspects. According to the First Information Report (FIR), the primary suspect had recently threatened the father during a prior dispute, warning him of a life-long consequence. Investigators are currently assessing whether those explicit threats were directly tied to the abduction and murder.

Following the initial arrests by the Sargodha police, the high-profile case was handed over to the CCD for deeper scrutiny.