KARACHI: A missing six-year old boy was found raped and murdered near Karachi’s Lea Market on Wednesday, with the police claiming to have arrested a 20-year old suspect who happened to be a neighbour of the victim.

Napier police said that the body of the boy was found at Punjab Gali near Spencer’s Eye Hospital, and moved to Karachi’s Civil Hospital for legal formalities.

Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said that the body was “decomposed” and there were “multiple bone injuries”.

“All samples have been collected for sexual violence and chemical analysis,” she said, adding that the cause of death was “reserved”.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that although doctors had collected samples to ascertain sexual assault, the arrested suspect had confessed during the initial probe to kidnapping the boy for that purpose.

After allegedly killing the boy, the suspect kept the body on the rooftop of his house. It was later thrown from the third floor into an empty plot on Tuesday night, wrapped in a gunny bag, according to the DIG. Residents of the area noticed the incident and opened the bag, discovering the body.

The residents informed the police, who rushed to the area. In the meantime, some residents brought the suspect out from his residence and beat him before the police arrived to take him into custody.

According to the DIG, the suspect is a 20-year-old bachelor who works as a carpenter and originally hailed from Phool Nagar in Lahore. He was a neighbour of the victim, whose family also belonged to Punjab.

The victim was the only son of his parents, who also have four daughters.

The city police said in a statement that Napier police received information about the boy’s disappearance on July 6. The police continued searching for him but could not locate him, and a first information report (FIR) was later registered in the case.

Late on Tuesday night, police received information about the recovery of the boy’s body. According to the complainant and information provided by area residents, police arrested a suspect for allegedly throwing the body there, the police statement said.

According to the FIR, the father said he was a rickshaw driver by profession and lived in Muslimabad. He said that when he returned home on Monday at around 3pm, his daughter informed him that the boy had left to visit a shop at around 2:30pm but had not returned.

The father said he searched for his son in the neighbourhood and elsewhere and made announcements from local mosques, but the boy could not be traced.

On the father’s complaint, the Napier police registered the FIR under sections 3 (Trafficking in persons) of the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act of 2018 and 364-A (Kidnapping or abducting a person under the age of fourteen) of the Pakistan Penal Code, and launched an investigation.

Sindh’s Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar also took notice of the kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of the boy and sought a detailed report from the DIG South, according to a statement issued by the ministry.

Last month, a three-year-old girl was found murdered at her doorstep in Quaidabad. Initial findings of a post-mortem examination confirmed that she had been subjected to “violent rape” before being murdered.

Described as “one of the most horrific cases” the police surgeon had seen in her career, the incident shocked the entire city, prompting the Sindh police chief to form a special team to investigate the case.

Crude oil prices rose more than 7% on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened fresh ‌strikes against Iran, which Iranian Press TV said would lead to a closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude futures gained $5.93, or 8%, to $80.09 a barrel, the highest since June 22. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose by $5.25, or 7.5%, to $75.69 a barrel, also the ​highest in over two weeks.

Trump said on Wednesday that the memorandum of understanding signed with Iran to end the ​war was “over,” and threatened fresh strikes against Iranian targets as soon as Wednesday.

The flare-up in ⁠hostilities has revived concerns about tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, especially as some vessels were hit around the ​waterway earlier in the week. A fifth of global oil supply passed through the Strait before the Iran war broke ​out, and its blockade in the ensuing conflict pushed oil prices north of $100 at the peak of the disruptions.

“Fundamentally, oil should trade higher,” SEB Research’s Ole Hvalbye said.

Trump on Wednesday also rehashed threats that U.S. forces could seize Iran’s Kharg Island, from which 90% of Iran’s ​crude oil exports are loaded.

Still, Trump has not explicitly said that the United States would return to full-fledged war. Trump ​also said he would let negotiators keep talking “if they want,” even though he finds it a “waste of time” to deal with Iran.

“Fundamentally, ‌the events ⁠of the last few days significantly weaken any confidence that the current 60-day truce can still evolve into a permanent peace agreement,” said Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad.

SUPPLY FEARS RESURFACE

“Trump’s assertion that the MOU is over raises the prospect of a re-closing of the Strait as an escalatory cycle begins again,” said Saul Kavonic, head of research ​at MST Marquee.

At least four oil and ​gas tankers have turned ⁠back from attempting to transit the strait, ship-tracking data showed, as renewed attacks on vessels heightened safety concerns.

The innovation could reduce the need for cadavers and animals in medical training and testing.

After the United States and Iran signed their truce last month, oil prices ​tumbled to pre-war levels and traders amassed large short positions in oil futures, betting prices would fall ​further.

Since the start ⁠of the conflict in February, nations have drawn down their inventories to make up for the supply shortfall.

HSBC lowered its Brent crude oil price forecast for 2026 to $80 per barrel from $95, as it assumes a return to normal Gulf oil exports by the end ⁠of September.

Meanwhile, ​China has lifted refined fuel export restrictions for the rest of July ​and allowed a private refiner to resume shipments after a four-month halt, trade sources said on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump said the United States would hit Iran “hard” on Wednesday as he deemed their ceasefire over after fighting flared, but he left the door open to more talks.

Efforts to end the Middle East war have taken a hit following the fighting sparked by Iranian attacks on ships in the vital Strait of Hormuz.

The strategic shipping route remains a flashpoint in the conflict, which began in late February with massive US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Tehran insists on controlling the waterway, saying it will charge fees for passage and threatening to hit vessels that deviate from its authorised route.

Its military struck at least three ships in recent days, prompting extensive US strikes against Iranian targets Tuesday followed by retaliatory attacks from Iran on Gulf countries.

“We’re gonna hit ’em hard tonight,” Trump said at a NATO summit in Ankara in reference to Iran, adding: “They violate the agreement every day.”

When asked if the truce was intact, he had said earlier Wednesday that “as far as I’m concerned, it’s over”.

“It’s just a waste of time dealing with them,” he added.

“I’ll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don’t see it. I don’t like these people.”

Oil prices jumped eight per cent after Trump said the ceasefire was over, having already reached their highest level in two weeks.

Both the US and Iran said they had hit dozens of targets, placing fresh strain on their interim deal to end the war.

Iranian state media reported a wave of explosions around the strait, including six on the island of Qeshm, seven in the city of Sirik and more in the major port city of Bandar Abbas.

It later reported a series of blasts in the coastal city of Bushehr, which hosts the country’s only civilian nuclear power plant and lies near Kharg island, the main oil terminal through which 90 percent of Iran’s crude exports transit.

State media said a member of the military’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) had been killed, while the foreign ministry said monitoring and observation sites had been hit on the southern coast.

‘Anxious’

‘Hyperbolic rhetoric’

KARACHI: A local court granted bail to accused Agha Shaheer on Wednesday in Clifton firing incident in Karachi in which an FBR official was injured.

Sessions Judge-South granted bail to the accused and ordered him to submit Rs 1.5 Lac security bonds in the court.

In a road rage incident in Karachi’s Clifton area turned violent when a Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) official was shot and injured following a dispute with the son of a senior police official.

According to police, the incident took place between 1:30am and 2:00am in Clifton Block 9 when a minor collision between two vehicles led to an argument that escalated into gunfire. FBR inspector Shahmeer sustained bullet wounds in the incident.

The accused, Agha Shahryar Pathan, the son of a SSP, was reportedly driving a white car when the altercation began after the side mirrors of the vehicles touched.

“According to medical report FBR inspector Shahmeer sustained two bullet wounds,” defence lawyer argued before the court earlier. “Police found only one spent bullet from the scene,” the lawyer said.

The plaintiff doesn’t object over the bail plea of the accused.

An FIR registered has been registered at Clifton police station on charges of attempted murder and other serious offences.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Chinese counterpart Ling Zhifeng agreed to further strengthen cooperation in security and combatting terrorism, state-run PTV reported on Wednesday.

The two ministers met at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

During the meeting, the ministers stressed to further cooperation in border management, curbing illegal immigration and combating drugs, while they also determined joint measures to stop assistance and funding for terrorism.

The meeting also discussed views on protection of Chinese in Pakistan, ease of visa and promotion of public relations.

Meanwhile, Naqvi held a separate meeting with Sri Lankan Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Ananda Wijepala at the UN Headquarters in New York. They agreed to strengthen coordination in combatting narcotics and enhance cooperation in police training, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.

According to the report, they agreed to increase collaboration to curb illegal immigration and prevent travel on forged passports.

The two ministers discussed a probable memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening cooperation to combat criminal networks and money laundering, the report stated.

They also agreed to establish a joint working group to further strengthen cooperation between the interior ministries of Pakistan and Sri Lanka, it added.

Naqvi and his Sri Lankan counterpart agreed to resolve visa-related issues on a priority basis.

The interior minister is currently in New York to represent Pakistan at the Fifth United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit 2026 (UNCOPS) being held at the UN headquarters on July 7 and 8. The summit has brought together interior ministers, police chiefs and senior law enforcement officials from across the world to discuss peace, security and enhanced cooperation against transnational crime.

The key focus of this year’s summit is developing a new vision for United Nations policing to ensure that peace operations remain agile, effective and people-centred.

During his visit, Naqvi is expected to meet senior US officials in Washington early next week, as Pakistan continues efforts to facilitate US-Iran talks, diplomatic sources told Dawn.

A meeting between Naqvi and New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is also expected, according to the sources.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) to intensify search and rescue operations in the Arabian Sea after a private cargo plane en route from Sharjah to Karachi went missing late on Tuesday night.

A K2 Airways Boeing 737-400 cargo aircraft disappeared from radar over the Arabian Sea, about 300 kilometres west of Karachi, late on Tuesday night.

K2 Airways is a private airline based in Karachi. The carrier was established in May 2018 after being granted an airline charter licence by the government.

According to reports, the aircraft lost contact while approaching Pakistani airspace. The pilot had reported a navigation problem during the flight and requested assistance from the area control centre.

On Wednesday, state-run Radio Pakistan reported that the premier had instructed the CAA, the navy and the PAF to utilise all available resources in the search operation, as he extended his heartfelt sympathies to the families of the five crew members on board the aircraft.

The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said on Tuesday night that the plane reported a navigational system issue at 9:18pm and was promptly guided by the Karachi Area Control Centre.

However, at 9:21pm, the aircraft was observed on radar “rapidly descending” and making a sharp change in heading.

Subsequently, “radar contact and communication were lost” approximately 287 kilometres west of Karachi, PAA said.

According to FlightRadar, the aircraft, registered as AP-BOI, is a Boeing 737-4M0(BDSF) that entered service with K2 Airways in 2024.

It was originally delivered to Aeroflot as a passenger aircraft in 1999 before joining Garuda Indonesia in 2004. The aircraft was converted into a freighter in 2012 and later operated by TNT Airways and ASL Airlines.