Examiner Bureau | Kishtwar:
The investigation into the alleged sexual exploitation and subsequent death of a minor girl from Chatroo area of Kishtwar has widened further, with the Crime Branch arresting two more persons, taking the total number of arrests in the case to 12.
The latest arrests include Haroon Mir, a medical shop owner, and Abdul Latief Banday, a government teacher posted at Middle School Major in Inderwal Zone. Their alleged roles surfaced during the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the minor’s pregnancy, her subsequent medical treatment and the events preceding her death.
The case was initially registered as FIR No. 34/2026 at Police Station Chatroo and was later transferred to the Special Crime Wing of the Crime Branch, Jammu, where a fresh FIR No. 27 was registered. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) is examining the sequence of events and the alleged role of each person connected with the case.
According to sources familiar with the investigation, the victim’s father has alleged that Haroon Mir played a significant role after the family came to know about the minor’s pregnancy.
The father has alleged that Mir discouraged him from immediately approaching the police and attempted to prevent the matter from coming into the open.
Investigators are also examining allegations that Mir was operating a medical shop illegally from within the premises of the Primary Health Centre (PHC), Chatroo, and whether medicines or other assistance were provided in connection with the minor’s pregnancy.
The allegations are being examined as part of the wider investigation, and the Crime Branch is yet to establish the specific role attributable to each accused.
The role of Abdul Latief Banday is also under investigation. According to sources, Banday allegedly travelled around 30 kilometres from Kishtwar to Chatroo at Mir’s request and accompanied the minor and her father to Kishtwar for an ultrasound examination.
The ultrasound reportedly confirmed that the minor was pregnant. The circumstances in which the family was taken for the examination, the persons involved and the steps taken after the pregnancy was confirmed are now part of the Crime Branch investigation.
The latest arrests follow the arrest of 10 persons by the Crime Branch and Kishtwar Police during the earlier stages of the investigation.
Those arrested earlier include alleged prime accused and government teacher Khalid Hussain Sheikh, his brother Tariq Hussain, Riyaz Hussain, Mohd Isaq, Farooq Ahmed, nurse Sonika Parihar, sanitation worker Zareena Begum, Noor Din, Haji Ghulam Qadir Sheikh and Peer Bakash.
Investigators are examining the alleged roles of these persons at different stages of the case, including the alleged sexual exploitation of the minor, the discovery and concealment of the pregnancy, attempts to terminate the pregnancy, medical treatment, transportation and the circumstances surrounding her death.
The government has also dismissed Khalid Hussain Sheikh from service under Article 311(2)(b) of the Constitution in connection with the allegations against him.
According to the Crime Branch status report submitted before the Principal Sessions Court, Kishtwar, investigators have collected medical records from PHC Chatroo, District Hospital Kishtwar and GMC Doda.
The investigation has found that the minor was transported towards GMC Doda after her condition deteriorated. During the journey, she reportedly delivered a premature/dead male child. Her condition subsequently deteriorated further and she was referred onward in an Ambulance 108, but died while being shifted.
The Crime Branch has seized the private vehicles allegedly used to transport the minor and questioned the persons involved in the transportation.
Call Detail Records of persons connected with the case have also been collected and sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination.
A key aspect of the investigation remains unresolved, with the biological father of the newborn male child yet to be established.
The Crime Branch has preserved biological samples and viscera for forensic examination and DNA profiling. Sources familiar with the investigation said more than 30 persons, including some minors, have undergone DNA sampling/testing as investigators seek to establish the biological parentage of the newborn.
Sources stressed that it would be premature to identify any person as the biological father before the DNA examination and final forensic report are received.
The DNA evidence is expected to help establish the biological relationship between the newborn and persons whose roles have emerged during the investigation. It could also assist investigators in reconstructing the sequence of events surrounding the minor’s pregnancy and determining the precise role, if any, of different individuals.
The Crime Branch has informed the court that the investigation remains in progress and that several forensic and other material reports are awaited.
Investigators are examining hospital records, statements of material witnesses, call records, transportation details and other documentary and electronic evidence. Biological samples, viscera and other material evidence have been preserved and sent for scientific examination.
The agency is also examining allegations that certain individuals may have attempted to suppress information about the minor’s pregnancy, facilitated or encouraged unlawful medical intervention, misled the family or otherwise interfered with the chain of events preceding her death.
With the arrest of Mir and Banday, the investigation has expanded further into the alleged network of people who came into contact with the minor and her family after the pregnancy was discovered.
The Crime Branch has maintained before the court that the investigation is being conducted in accordance with law and that the specific role of each accused and other persons connected with the case is being ascertained on the basis of documentary, medical, forensic and other evidence.
The final forensic and DNA reports are expected to be significant in resolving several unanswered questions, particularly the biological parentage of the newborn and the sequence of events preceding the minor’s death. According to official sources, further arrests may follow as the investigation progresses.
