Asghar had heard from his mother that his father had been a soldier who got killed during his military conscription. The family soon traveled to Iraq under the pretext of making the Karbala pilgrimage, and subsequently decided to remain in Baghdad.Asghar sold snacks to other children and adolescents, and made friends with them. He would promise to give them treats but instead, would assault and sexually molest them. It was during this time, when Asghar was age 14, that he was first arrested and prosecuted for his abuse of other children in Baghdad, and was imprisoned.