LAHORE, Oct 17 (INP): The convict of raping and murdering seven-year-old girl Zainab, identified as Imran Ali, hailing from Kasur, was hanged at Kot Lakhpat Jail early Wednesday.

Imran Ali was executed in the presence of Magistrate Adil Sarwar and the father of the deceased, Muhammad Amin.

An ambulance had also arrived at the scene, accompanied by a brother of the convict as well as two of his friends.

[timed-content-server show="10/18/2018 01:00 Asia/Karachi"]The convict was awarded a death sentence on 21 counts after he was convicted of the rape and murder of at least eight minor girls, including Zainab. He was executed at the Central Jail Lahore at 5:30 AM. Earlier on Tuesday, the jail authorities arranged the convict's last meeting with his family, which lasted for some 45 minutes. It is worth to mention here that Zainab was kidnapped on January 04 from near her aunt’s house in Kasur and, five days later, was found dead in a garbage heap. On January 23, authorities had claimed to have apprehended Ali, a serial killer involved in other similar crimes, through a DNA match. Ali's DNA also matched the samples taken from seven other minor girls who were abused and murdered earlier in Kasur, police had confirmed. The then-suspect had confessed to his heinous crimes following his arrest. On February 17, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) hearing the case of Zainab's rape and murder had sentenced Imran to death on four counts. Appealing against the ATC's verdict, Ali had claimed innocence before the Lahore High Court and pleaded for the verdict to be declared null and void. On June 12, the Supreme Court's Lahore Registry had dismissed Imran's appeal against the death sentence handed to him for raping and murdering the minor girl. Last week, a special ATC had issued black warrants for the convict. INP/SB[/timed-content-server]