The Murder of Azan Majid Janjua

In late May 2017, 11-year-old Azan Majid Janjua left his Abu Dhabi home to attend afternoon prayers and did not return. His body was discovered the following morning on the rooftop of the apartment building where his family lived. Investigators arrested Mohsen Bilal, a relative of the family, and prosecutors brought charges of sexual assault and murder.

Azan and the disappearance

Azan was an 11-year-old Pakistani boy living with his family in Abu Dhabi. Contemporary English-language reporting rendered his first name in more than one way, including Azan and Athan. This file uses Azan Majid Janjua, the form used in Gulf News coverage, while noting that The National used Athan Janjua for the same child.

He disappeared after leaving home for Asr prayers. When he did not return, the family searched for him and authorities became involved. Maintenance workers found his body on the rooftop the next day.

The investigation

Police and prosecutors built the case around multiple forms of evidence. Court reporting described CCTV footage showing Bilal entering and leaving the building while disguised in women's clothing. Prosecutors also relied on forensic findings and other investigative evidence tying him to the attack.

Bilal denied the charges during the court proceedings and at points asserted that he had not been in Abu Dhabi when the crime occurred. Those denials are part of the procedural record; they do not change the fact that the courts ultimately convicted him.

First-instance conviction

In November 2017, the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court of First Instance found Mohsen Bilal guilty of the sexual assault and murder of Azan. The court imposed the death penalty and also ordered Dh200,000 in blood money to the family.

The case then moved through the appellate process rather than ending with the first judgment.

Appeals and final judgment

In April 2018, the Abu Dhabi appellate court upheld the death sentence. The matter proceeded to the Court of Cassation, the emirate's highest court for the case.

On December 23, 2018, the Abu Dhabi Court of Cassation upheld the death sentence, making the criminal judgment final according to contemporaneous court reporting. This file therefore classifies the case as solved and adjudicated.

What the record does — and does not — establish

The court record establishes Bilal's conviction for the assault and murder. It does not require repeating graphic details, prosecutorial insults or speculation about the offender's psychology. The evidentiary and appellate history is sufficient to explain why the case reached a final adjudicated status.

No reliable source reviewed for this file was used to claim that an execution was later carried out. The final verified point in the reviewed record is the Court of Cassation's confirmation of the death sentence in December 2018.

Timeline

1. May 2017
   Azan disappears after leaving for prayers

   The 11-year-old does not return home in Abu Dhabi.

2. Next morning
   Body discovered on the building rooftop

   Maintenance workers find Azan on the roof of the residential building.

3. 2017 investigation
   Mohsen Bilal is arrested and prosecuted

   Authorities rely on CCTV, forensic evidence and other investigative material.

4. Nov. 27, 2017
   First-instance conviction

   The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court convicts Bilal and imposes a death sentence plus blood money.

5. Apr. 17, 2018
   Appeal court upholds the sentence

   The conviction and death sentence survive the appellate review.

6. Dec. 23, 2018
   Court of Cassation issues the final ruling

   Abu Dhabi's highest court for the case upholds the death sentence.

Current status

Solved / adjudicated. Mohsen Bilal was convicted of the sexual assault and murder of Azan Majid Janjua. The conviction and death sentence were upheld through the Court of Cassation in December 2018.