A teenage boy kidnapped, raped and murdered an eight-year-old girl in Madanmohan in Assam’s Sribhumi district on Wednesday, police said on Thursday, adding that locals beat the accused before handing him over to them.
Additional Police Inspector Tribhuvan Bhuiyan said that the accused went in search of the girl when she was missing, pretending that he did not know anything about the incident. “He was seen riding with the victim’s father when the family was searching for her. Later, he said that the girl’s father tortured him, and in order to take revenge, he did it.”
Bhuyan added that the accused initially managed to escape, but the police arrested him. He admitted to killing the girl but denied the rape allegations. “The body has been sent for an autopsy, and once we get the report, things will be clearer.”
Bhuiyan said that the girl’s family told the police that she had gone out to play when the accused, whom she knew, took her into the forest. Her body was later found in the same place. He added: “He strangled her first with his hand and then used her dress. The girl’s family said that he raped her before he killed her, but this must be confirmed by a medical examination yet.”
The boy has been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 103 (1) (murder), 141 (kidnapping), 65 (2) (rape of a girl below 12 years) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, police said.
Police said the accused claims to be under 18 years of age and the allegation is under investigation. A second officer said: “Once we confirm his age, we will present him to court.”
Hundreds took to the streets and closed the roads in protest against the incident. The roads were cleared after the intervention of senior police officers. The demonstrators said that the incident raised questions about the safety of children and demanded a deterrent punishment.
