On the morning of July 9, 1999, Faisal Razzaq left his home in Lahore, Pakistan for his factory job where he folded cardboard.
Razzaq was among the millions of children in a country where child labour remains the norm, despite various efforts by the government and non-governmental organizations to combat the societal ill.
But on that ill-fated date, the nine-year-old didn’t return home.
Razzaq was among the more than 100 young victims of Javed Iqbal, a serial killer who abused, raped, and took the lives of boys ranging in age from 6 to 16.
It’s no wonder that in the annals of Pakistan’s criminal history, Iqbal’s name stands out as a chilling embodiment of depravity and evil.
He’s infamously known as the “Butcher of Lahore.”
This notorious serial killer’s reign of terror left an indelible mark on the nation after he confessed to murders and depravity.
A Twisted Modus Operandi
Iqbal’s modus operandi was as calculated as it was horrific. He would lure vulnerable children, often beggars or street kids, with false promises of work and a better life. Once in his clutches, the victims were subjected to unimaginable levels of physical and psychological torture.
Iqbal’s perverse motive set him apart from other serial killers. He sought to prolong the suffering of his victims, deriving pleasure from their agony. He meticulously documented his crimes, keeping detailed records, photographs, and even videos of his victims’ torment.
The House of Horrors
In December 1999, Iqbal sent a chilling letter to a local newspaper, confessing to the rape and murder of 100 boys.
This confession led to the discovery of his house of horrors in Lahore, where police found bloodstains, the chain used to strangle his victims, and a trove of disturbing evidence, including photographs of the boys and vats of acid containing partially dissolved human remains
Trial and Sentencing
Iqbal’s trial drew international attention due to the sheer scale of his crimes.
In a verdict that echoed the severity of his actions, he was given 100 death sentences, one for each victim.
The judge ordered that Iqbal be executed in the same manner he had tortured and killed his victims: strangled with the same chain and his body cut into 100 pieces and dissolved in acid.
A Twisted End to a Twisted Life
However, before the sentence could be carried out, Iqbal and an accomplice were found dead in their prison cells in 2001, reportedly by suicide.
While their deaths raised suspicions of foul play, they were officially ruled suicides, denying closure to the victims’ families and the public.
The case of Javed Iqbal remains a grim reminder of the depths of human depravity and the need for vigilance in protecting society’s most vulnerable members.
His reign of terror shook Pakistan to its core and left a scar on the nation’s psyche, serving as a horrifying reminder of the importance of justice and the preservation of human life.
Like with all the pain perpetrated by serial killers, we’re left with the question of why, why would they do it?
Making Sense of the Depravity
According to an array of sources provided, Iqbal claimed he murdered boys as an act of revenge against the police. He alleged that the police had assaulted him following an arrest, which motivated his killing spree.
In his confession letter to the authorities, Iqbal stated that his crimes were undertaken as “an act of revenge against the police, who, he said, had assaulted him following an arrest.”
The sources indicate that Iqbal harbored resentment towards the police due to alleged mistreatment, which he cited as the reason for his horrific murders of children.
However, one source suggests that Iqbal’s confession letter claiming responsibility for 100 murders may have been a stunt to draw attention to the issue of missing street children in Pakistan, rather than an actual admission of guilt.
This casts some doubt on whether his stated motive of revenge against police was genuine or simply part of a fabricated narrative.
Truth is, we’ll never know what was going on in Iqbal’s mind. But we can learn from this horrific tragedy: let’s do more to look out for one and other, especially the most vulnerable in society.