Charsadada - Police on Thursday arrested eight suspects in the rape-cum-murder case of a minor girl, as there was a feeling of doom and gloom in Sheikh Kalay Qilla, the village where the incident took place.

Two-and-half-year old Zainab, daughter of Akhtar Munir of Sheikh Killay Qilla area, had gone missing on October 6 evening while playing with other children outside her house.

Her father had registered a first information report (FIR) in the Prang Police Station against unidentified kidnappers.

On Wednesday, the body of the child was found in the fields in Jabba Koroona area in the limits of Daudzai Police Station in Peshawar. The Prang police were informed about the body of a girl recovered from Jabba Koroona. The personnel of Prang and Daudzai police stations later took it to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar for post-mortem report, which confirmed that the girl had been molested before stabbing to death.

Around eight suspects were arrested during the search operation conducted by the police teams constituted soon after the tragic incident, said District Police Officer Mohammad Shoaib Khan. The body of the girl also had marks resembling that of some kind of animal.

The parents of the girl have asked the government to immediately arrest the culprits and hang them publicly.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police Sanaullah Abbasi, flanked by Deputy Inspector General of Police Sher Akbar Khan, visited Charsadda district on Thursday. The IGP said that the DNA test result would be obtained in a few days, while the detailed medical report about the sexual assault was yet to be received.

He said that cops of Charsadda and Peshawar police were jointly working on the case.