Bhandara: No breakthrough in rape-cum-murder of sisters

Even a week after three minor sisters were allegedly raped and murdered in East Maharashtra district of Bhandara, culprits remain at large as police are struggling to achieve a breakthrough.

Meanwhile, outrage over the ghastly crime is growing with school children here today taking out a silent march sporting black ribbons to condemn the incident that occurred in Murwadi village in Lakhani taluka of Bhandara district, nearly 70 kms from here.

Women and Child Welfare Minister Varsha Gaikwad today visited the bereaved family at Murwadi village and offered her condolences and also held discussions with senior police officials.

Gaikwad also visited the 14-year-old girl, who was allegedly sexually assaulted by her teacher in a Zilla Parishad school three days back at Palandur village, at Bhandara civil hospital.

According to the police, three sisters, aged 6, 9 and 11 years, respectively, and missing since February 14, were allegedly raped and murdered by unidentified persons and their bodies found dumped in a farm well on February 16.

Lakhani tehsil police inspector Prakssh Munde has since been suspended for alleged dereliction of duty after police initially registered a case of accidental death into the incident.

Police later registered an offence of rape and murder under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code against unidentified persons and stepped up investigations by setting up a number of teams to crack the case.

Postmortem conducted on the bodies in Bhandara on February 17 confirmed the sexual abuse but apparently not the cause of the death of the sisters, police said.