Girl gang-raped, murdered in Ludhiana; kin hold dharna

Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 3

An 18-year-old girl of New Janta Nagar in Shimlapuri was reportedly kidnapped, gang-raped and murdered by unidentified assailants. The bare body of the victim was recovered from Sidhwan Canal, near Barewal, her bag containing her school uniform from Jadwaddi. The incident triggered a protest.

The board of doctors namely Dr Gurcharan, Dr Ruchi and Dr Geeta, who performed the postmortem told the police that the victim was gang-raped. The authorities have sent the viscera and swab samples of the victim to a special laboratory in Kharar for chemical examination.

The girl’s relatives alleged there were strangulation marks on the neck, a deep cut on the head and 17 injuries all over the victim’s body. Sources said the victim was kidnapped by someone known to her. She was taken in a car to a house, where she was killed.

The police suspect that two or more persons were involved in the crime. The postmortem report suggested the victim was killed around 4pm on Wednesday. The investigating officer said after killing the victim, the accused waited till it was dark and then threw the bag in the Sidhwan canal, near Shimlapuri. He said the body too was thrown in the canal near BRS Nagar or Raghunath Enclave.

The victim was last spotted at a stationery shop, yesterday afternoon. The victim was studying in class XII. The victim’s father said when he couldn’t find his daughter, he approached the police in the evening. The police today visited the victim’s school in Shimlapuri and the houses of her classmates.

At the victim’s house, local residents gathered to express their sympathies. They said the victim’s parents were natives of Nepal and had been residing here for the past three years.

One of the victim’s teachers, Surinder Singh, said she was a good at studies. “We never received any complaint about her. The incident is shocking,” he said.

Police Commissioner Paramraj Singh Umranangal said it was a heinous crime. “We have registered the case and begun the investigation. The accused will soon be nabbed,” he said.