KARACHI: A model criminal court transferred a case pertaining to the rape and murder of a six-year-old girl, Maham in Karachi’s Korangi to a session court for trial.

The court (East) deferred the indictment of key suspect Zakir. The judge observed that the model court cannot hear the case after the amendments made to the anti-rape and investigation law. He said the Ministry of Law and Justice had issued a notification to this effect on May 7. The hearing was adjourned until December 29. In Sept this year, the rape and murder case transferred to a model court for speedy trial. An anti-terrorism court (ATC) ordered the transfer of the case to a model court.

After perusing the case challan that didn’t include any provisions of Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997, the court ordered that the case be transferred to a model court for trial. The investigation officer submitted the interim challan of the case to the ATC.

A six-year-old girl named Maham, who went missing from Karachi’s Korangi, was found dead after being raped in July. The rapist and murderer turned out to be the victim’s neighbour. Zakir, the rapist, confessed to his crime in his statement before the judicial magistrate, earlier.