Arshman had gone missing on November 24, 2024, after attending a relative’s wedding with his mother. An abduction case was registered by his maternal uncle, Umar Rauf.
Nearly two months later, the child’s body was found in a local pond. Initially, police attributed the death to accidental drowning, suggesting the boy may have fallen in while playing.
However, the family disputed this version. They pointed out inconsistencies – the boy, who had thick hair at the time of disappearance, was bald when the body was found.
Additionally, his trousers had been changed. Following these claims, murder charges (Section 302) were added to the original abduction case.
CPO Rawalpindi Khalid Hamdani had earlier formed a seven-member special investigation team led by Saddar SP Nabeel Khokhar.
The team included Saddar SDPO Dania Rana, HIU Rawat In-Charge Inspector Zaheeruddin Babar, Rawat SHO Inspector Zahid Zahoor, former IO Wasim Sarfraz, a CIA officer, and an IT lab expert.
They explored multiple angles including tracking movements from the wedding venue to the pond, identifying who resided in or left the area during the critical time frame, and reviewing available CCTV footage.
Despite detaining five suspects for questioning and following various leads, police have made no breakthroughs.
Recently, RPO Rawalpindi and CPO assigned ASP Zainab Ayyub to re-investigate the case. ASP Zainab has since begun fresh sessions with the family.
Rumors had circulated that some relatives were taken into custody. However, when contacted by The Express Tribune, SP Saddar Nabeel Khokhar denied any arrests.