The body of five-year-old Ayat Noor has been handed over to her family after a post-mortem examination, 15 days after the child disappeared from her neighbourhood in Haripur.
Ayat went missing from Pathan Colony after leaving her home to play and failing to return. Her father subsequently approached police, who registered a kidnapping case and began searching for the child.
Her body was recovered on Monday from a well inside a warehouse on University Road. Police took custody of the body and moved it to hospital for a post-mortem and medical examination.
Investigators are seeking to establish the exact cause of Ayat’s death and examine allegations that she was abused before she died. Because the medical examination is intended to establish those facts, claims about the circumstances of her death should remain attributed until forensic findings and the investigation provide confirmation.
Police reportedly used CCTV footage during the investigation and identified five suspects allegedly connected to Ayat’s abduction. Three have been arrested, while authorities are searching for two others who remain at large.
According to the police, the arrested suspects confessed to abusing the child before disposing of her body. These remain allegations within an ongoing criminal investigation and have not been established through a final court judgment.
The recovery ended a search that had continued for two weeks but sparked anger among Ayat’s relatives and members of the local community.
After her body was handed over to the family, relatives and residents placed it on GT Road and staged a protest demanding justice.
The case has now moved from the search for the missing child to a criminal investigation focused on establishing what happened, completing the forensic process and locating the remaining suspects.
For responsible coverage, particular care is necessary because the victim was a child. Graphic details and unverified claims should be avoided, while allegations concerning abuse, responsibility and the circumstances of her death should remain clearly attributed to investigators until established through the judicial process.
