Anxious to prevent a medical examination of a seven-year-old rape victim, relatives of the teenager accused of raping her hacked the girl to death in Allahabad district.
A class II student at a local school, the girl was raped a few days ago by the 14-year-old boy living in the neighbouring house. A medical examination on the girl was scheduled for Thursday to confirm her rape.
Police said the boy’s relatives snatched away the girl in the wee hours on Wednesday. Her blood-stained body was later discovered in the field a few kilometres away from the village.
Police sources said the victim’s family –allegedly under pressure from the relatives of the accused– did not report the rape immediately to the Mauaima police station nearest to them.
The girl’s parents later gathered courage and reported the incident at the Mauaima station, based on which the accused was arrested and later sent to the reform home on court orders.
“It appears as if the girl was killed to prevent the medical examination,” a district police official said in Allahabad.
Police said a case of murder has been registered and some places were raided to arrest those involved in the killing.
The incident triggered resentment among local people who staged a demonstration demanding the immediate arrest of those involved in the murder. Agitators also tried to stop police from burying the girl’s body.
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