Peshawar police arrest man accused of exhuming girls’ bodies from graves

PESHAWAR: Police have arrested a 19-year-old man accused of exhuming the bodies of girls from graves and allegedly desecrating them in Peshawar’s Sheikhan area, police said on Tuesday.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Saddar Division Fida Hussain said during a press conference that local residents caught the suspect while he was allegedly digging up a grave and removing the body of a girl.

The suspect was identified as Salman, a resident of Bara Qadeem and an Afghan national, according to the police officer.

Hussain said the suspect allegedly dug up graves, removed the bodies of girls and took them to bushes near the cemetery, where he allegedly desecrated the bodies.

The SP said the suspect had dug up another grave and removed a girl’s body when local residents caught him at the scene and handed him over to police.

Initial investigations have revealed that the suspect had allegedly dug up four other graves and removed girls’ bodies before, Hussain said.

According to the SP, the suspect targeted only graves of girls and left the graves of boys untouched.

Hussain said the suspect had completed intermediate-level education.

He added that police were examining all aspects of the case and would proceed against the suspect in accordance with the law.