An 8-year-old girl was kidnapped, raped and murdered in Assam’s Sribhumi district, after which a teenager was arrested from the same neighbourhood, police said on Thursday.
Sribhumi Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime), Trinayan Bhuiyan, said the suspect initially managed to escape, but the police arrested him. “He said he did not rape her but confessed to killing her. The body has been sent for postmortem, and once we get the report, things will be clearer,” Bhuyan said.
The incident was reported to the police at around 4:30 pm, and a team went to the scene.
Bhuyan said that the deceased’s family members told the police that she had gone out of the house to play and that the boy she knew had taken her to the forest. Her body was later found.
He added: “He strangled her first with his hands and then used her dress. Members of the girl’s family said that he raped her before killing her, but we have not confirmed that through medical examinations yet.”
The additional SP said that after killing the girl, the suspect was walking around with her father. “He was seen riding in the back seat with the victim’s father when the family was searching for her. Later, he revealed that the victim’s father had tortured him recently, and in order to take revenge, he did it,” Bhuyan added.
The police said they registered a case after receiving a formal complaint from the girl’s family members under Sections 103 (1) (murder), 141 (kidnapping) and 65 (2) (rape of girl below 12 years) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). In addition, Section 6 (Penetrative Sexual Abuse) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act 2012 has been added.
Police said the suspect claims to be under 18 years old. “As soon as we confirm his age, we will present him before the court,” one of the officials said, adding that the detainee is currently undergoing interrogation.
