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Man who killed at least 8 children executed in Pakistan

By Ed Adamczyk
Relatives of Imran Ali wait to receive his body on Wednesday outside Kot Lakhpat Central Jail in Lahore, Pakistan, following his execution. Photo by Rahat Dar/EPA-EFE
Relatives of Imran Ali wait to receive his body on Wednesday outside Kot Lakhpat Central Jail in Lahore, Pakistan, following his execution. Photo by Rahat Dar/EPA-EFE

Oct. 17 (UPI) -- A man who raped and killed a 7-year-old girl in Pakistan, and killed seven others, was executed Wednesday.

Mohammed Imran Ali was sentenced to death in February for the attack on Zainab Ameen Fatima in Kasur.

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The girl was found dead in a garbage dump in January five days after she disappeared. Ali, a neighbor of her family, was arrested after a manhunt.

Ali confessed to at least seven other similar killings over the past year. DNA testing proved one person was responsible for all the crimes. Pakistan's anti-terrorism court in Lahore convicted him on 21 counts and gave him four death sentences.

At least 13 children have been raped and killed in Kasur in the past two years, police said.

The girl's death sparked riots by protesters angered by what they viewed as police indifference. Two people were killed in the riots, and Zainab's death became a rallying point for a campaign to end violence against children.

Ali was hanged Wednesday in Kot Lakhpat Central Jail in Lahore. Ameer Ansari, Zainab's father, was among the witnesses.

"I am satisfied that he was punished for his crimes," he said. "This should be a lesson for all other criminals that they will also meet a similar fate."

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Kasur has been a dangerous place for children over the last decade. Police said members of a large pedophile ring abducted and sexually assaulted at least 280 children in the Kasur area since 2009 -- and families were blackmailed and video clips of the assaults were sold on the Internet, Dawn reported.

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