THE BUTCHER OF LAHORE

Who Was Javed Iqbal?

Javed Iqbal Mughal was a 38-year-old man from a wealthy family in Lahore. Educated and intelligent, he ran a business and appeared normal on the outside. But inside, he was harboring an unthinkable darkness.

In late 1999, Javed Iqbal shocked the nation by confessing to the abuse and murder of 100 boys, aged between 6 and 16 years. He had documented each killing carefully — with names, photographs, and dates.

How Did He Do It?

His victims were mostly street children, runaways, or orphans — boys who had no one to protect them. He lured them using offers of food, work, or shelter.

Once inside his house:

He sexually abused them

Then strangled them

Dismembered their bodies

And dissolved them in acid, to erase all evidence

Afterward, he would keep their clothes, take photographs, and write down details of each murder in his diary.

He carried this out over a six-month period, from May to December 1999, killing almost every other day.

The Confession

On December 25, 1999, Javed Iqbal sent a 32-page handwritten letter to the police and a Lahore newspaper. It included:

A full confession

Photographs of the victims

Addresses of where the remains could be found

He wrote:

“This is my final statement. I have taken revenge for the mistreatment of street children. I have no regret.”

The police raided his house and found:

Two acid vats filled with dissolved remains

Shoes, clothes, and photos of the children

A detailed diary recording each killing

The Hunt and Arrest

After sending the confession, Javed went into hiding. A massive manhunt began. Just four days later, on December 30, 1999, he surrendered voluntarily — not to police, but at the office of the newspaper Jang, saying:

“I wanted the world to know what I’ve done.”

Trial and Sentence

In court, he calmly admitted to all the murders. The judge sentenced him to death with these words:

“He shall be strangled in front of the parents of his victims, his body cut into 100 pieces, and dissolved in acid — the same way he killed the children.”

However, human rights groups objected, and the sentence was reduced to a standard execution.

Mysterious Death in Prison

Before his sentence could be carried out, on October 8, 2001, Javed Iqbal was found dead in his jail cell, hanging alongside his young accomplice Sajid. Official reports said it was suicide, but many suspected he was killed by prison staff or inmates seeking justice.

The Accomplice: Sajid Ahmed

Javed was not always alone. A 14-year-old boy named Sajid, one of his early victims, was spared — and later became his helper in some of the crimes. He too was arrested, convicted, and found dead in the same cell.

The Forgotten Victims

The boys Javed Iqbal murdered were the invisible poor — the children no one missed. Some were never identified. Their clothes and photos were the only trace they existed. One mother, holding her son’s shoe found in the house, broke down and said:

“No one cared for him in life. No one could protect him. But I will not let his death go unseen.”

The Legacy

The Javed Iqbal case exposed:

The danger street children face

The failure of law enforcement

The urgency of child protection reforms in Pakistan

It remains one of the most horrifying serial murder cases in world history.

Summary Table

Fact Details

Name Javed Iqbal Mughal

Location Lahore, Pakistan

Victims 100 boys (6–16 years old)

Method Abuse → Strangulation → Acid Disposal

Evidence Photos, clothes, diary, acid vats

Confession 32-page letter sent to police & media

Arrest Voluntarily surrendered (Dec 1999)

Death Found dead in jail (Oct 2001)

Accomplice Sajid Ahmed (also found dead)