Toddler critically injured in Rawalpindi knife attack

RAWALPINDI: An 18-month-old girl was critically injured after a man allegedly attacked her with a knife in the Dhamiyal police limits of Rawalpindi while she was outside her home, according to police.

The case was registered on the directions of City Police Officer Khalid Hamdani, and the suspect was later taken into custody. The first information report was lodged by Constable Jawadul Hassan, who was assigned to security duty at Dhamiyal police station. He stated that police received information about an attack on a young girl in Street No. 6 on Girja Road.

When officers reached the area, they found that the child, identified as Aimen Fatima, had suffered a serious knife wound to her neck. She was shifted to District Headquarters Hospital Rawalpindi, where her condition was described as critical. Police said initial inquiries indicated that an unidentified person had attacked the child with the apparent intention of killing her.

According to police officials, the girl had walked out of the house while playing when the assault took place. They said preliminary findings showed that both of her parents are alive and that her mother works as an entertainment presenter.

Police said that after the CPO took notice of the incident, investigators examined the case from multiple angles and identified the suspect as Ejaz, a relative of the victim’s mother. According to police, he was a frequent visitor to the family’s home and allegedly wanted to develop a closer relationship with the child’s mother, but she had rejected his advances.

Police further said that human intelligence established that the suspect had been seen in the neighbourhood on the day of the incident and had visited the family’s house. He was subsequently arrested.

A police spokesperson said the suspect confessed that he had tried to kill the child because of a personal grudge. Police said efforts were continuing to trace and arrest any accomplices or facilitators who may have been involved, adding that the investigation was still under way and all aspects of the case were being examined in detail.