DADU: An undertrial prisoner facing charges of kidnapping and killing his four-year-old cousin was found dead in Dadu district jail late Thursday night.

According to jail superintendent Mumtaz Awan, the UTP had been under severe stress and depression ever since he was sent to prison. He said that the suspect was being provided treatment at the jail hospital as he had constantly been crying.

Sarfaraz Ahmed Babar was arrested a few days after his young cousin, Mohammad Yousuf Babar, went missing on Aug 9.

Dadu SSP Tariq Razzaque Dharejo told a press conference at the local CIA centre on Aug 19 that the suspect had not only confessed to his crime but also identified the place in the Inayat Shah graveyard near the town where he had strangled the boy and dumped his body. The police officer said that the investigators of the case found only the skeleton and clothes of the victim at the place.

The suspect was produced before the media and he owned up to the police claim. He said he needed Rs500,000 to pay off the money he had borrowed from someone and, therefore, he tried to seek as much ransom from his uncle by kidnapping his cousin.

He said after sensing that he might be arrested, he killed the boy.

Sarfaraz Babar was sent to jail on Aug 22 on judicial remand.

Mr Awan said that he was sent to the Dadu Civil Hospital three days back after his condition deteriorated as he had stopped eating. On Thursday night, other inmates reported his death several hours after he returned to the barracks from the jail hospital, he said.

The body was taken to the civil hospital for a post-mortem examination under the supervision of the Dadu civil judge before it was handed over to the heirs.

In their initial report, the civil surgeon and other doctors established the cause of the UTP’s death as brain haemorrhage. A final report was, however, awaited, the civil surgeon said.

Meanwhile, a number of people belonging to the Syal community of Dadu held a demonstration against police for their alleged non-cooperation in tracing out a 10-year-old boy who had gone missing from his home in Qaim Nagar Colony three days ago.

Led by Ghulam Sarwar Syal, the father of the missing boy, Aijaz Ali, the protesters raised slogans against the A-Section police and demanded due assistance in locating him. lodged a complaint at a section police about missing of his son.

Speaking to the protesters outside the local press club, Mr Syal and his close relatives appealed to the local MNA and MPA to use their influence in making the area police discharge their duty efficiently.

Office-bearers and members of the Child Rights Committee, Dadu chapter, including Niaz Ahmed Chandio and Inyat Hussain Jamali also joined in the protest. They expressed concern over poor performance of the police, and said a surge in all kinds of crime, including murder and kidnapping for ransom, in Dadu district had been witnessed over the past few months.

They said if the trend was not checked effectively, a call for shutdown would be given.

Published in Dawn, August 30th , 2014