LAHORE – A faith healer, who was interrogated over the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl in Kasur city of Punjab, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his house under unknown circumstances.
Baba Shabir, also known as Chanee Pir, had been arrested and interrogated for ten days in connection with the brutal kidnapping and killing of Zainab Ansari which shocked the world last month.
Shabir worked as a faith healer or exorcist, who ‘helps’ those who seek spiritual healing or who believed they have been ‘possessed’ by evil, by praying and carrying out religious rituals.
His devotees found him hanging and informed the police, Dawn reported. The incident took place at Peerowal Road, about 280 km from Lahore.
On receiving information, police reached the spot and shifted the body to DHQ hospital for autopsy.
According to his nephew Muhammad Umer, Shabir had become depressed after being held in connection with the death of the seven-year-old girl, who was raped and murdered before her body was dumped on a trash heap in Kasur earlier this month.
He was released without charge, and police has since zoned in on a 24-year-old man who is now accused of killing up to eight young girls including Zainab.
Shabir’s death comes as police investigating the case say their main suspect has links to an international child porn ring.
Mohammed Imran was linked to the murder of Zainab using DNA techniques, which also matched with DNA found at seven other murder scenes.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/zainabs-killer-remanded-to-police-custody/
Imran is accused of using food to lure in victims before raping and killed them. The suspect is said to be a resident of the same area where Zainab’s house is located.
A special anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore last week placed Imran in police remand for 14 days. He will be presented again before the court on February 8.
Meanwhile Pakistan’s senate has been asked to pass a bill to re-introduce public hanging for people who rape or kidnap children under the age of 14.
Zainab, who was a resident of the Kasur district of Pakistan’s Punjab province, was kidnapped on her way to a tuition centre on January 4.
Five days after her disappearance, she was found raped, dead and buried in a garbage dump on January 9 near Kashmir Chowk.
According to the initial post-mortem report, the minor was strangled to death after being raped multiple times.
As per the autopsy, the girl had marks of torture on nose, neck, and other parts of the body, the report said.
This incident incited huge protests in Kasur and other major cities of Pakistan.
