Mardan Court Sentences Man To Triple Death Penalty For 9-Year-Old Maham's Murder

Additional Sessions Judge Zahid Kareem Khalil on Thursday announced the verdict in the high-profile case of nine-year-old Maham, sentencing convict Akhtar Hussain to death three times for murder, rape, and abduction. The court also imposed a total fine of Rs1.6 million on the convict.

According to the judgment, Hussain is to be hanged until confirmed dead. The court further ordered that if the fine is not paid, the amount will be recovered through the sale of the convict's land by the authorities.

The tragic incident occurred on March 26, 2020, in the Jan Abad area of Mardan, when Maham, a fourth-grade student, went missing after leaving home to buy soap from a nearby shop. The next day, her body was found stuffed in a sack in a canal.

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Police investigations, aided by CCTV footage and other evidence, led to the arrest of Akhtar Hussain. During interrogation, the convict confessed to luring the child to his home, sexually assaulting her, and then strangling her to death. He later placed her body in a sack and dumped it in the canal. In an attempt to avoid suspicion, Hussain even participated in the search for the missing child alongside her family.

Key evidence presented in court included one of the victim's slippers recovered from under the convict's bed and the sack used to dispose of the body, which was identified by a local shopkeeper. Prosecutor Asad Ali Khan successfully proved the charges during trial, leading to the conviction.

It is worth mentioning that the investigation and arrest of the accused were carried out under the supervision of then-DPO Mardan and current DIG Bannu, Sajjad Khan, along with SHO Ajab Durani.

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