Rajasthan-based man rapes, strangles nine-year-old girl to death; nabbed

A man based in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan, married to a woman in Ludhiana, brutally raped and murdered a nine-year-old girl there.

The suspect, who has been arrested by the police, is reported to be a distant relative of the victim.

As per information, the wife of the suspect was pregnant and he had sent the woman to her parents’ house in Ludhiana about two weeks ago. He had been staying alone since then at his house in Hanumangarh.

The incident occurred on the night of Janmashtami in Hanumangarh. According to police officials, the girl had gone to a relative’s house on Saturday night to take part in the Janmashtami festivities. However, she did not return home. After an anxious night and hours of searching by her family, her body was found early the next morning.

Superintendent of Police (SP), Hanumangarh, Hari Shankar, said the suspect, Chhotu Dass, alias Mukesh, who originally hails from Darbhanga district of Bihar and was married to a woman in Ludhiana, was a distant relative of the girl.

He used to visit her family frequently. That evening, the suspect was drunk. When the girl returned home, he first raped her and then strangled her to death when she protested his move.

Investigation pointed out that after the murder, the suspect put the girl’s body in a sack and locked it in a suitcase. He was planning to dispose of the body on Sunday night but the police team caught him before he could do so. The post-mortem report has confirmed her death due to rape and strangulation. A case of rape and murder was registered and the POCSO Act is also being explored.

The victim’s father said the girl had gone out to play in the evening but when she did not return by the night, he started searching for her. The next day, the police were informed. Protests are being held against the incident. Women’s organisations are demanding the closure of all illegal liquor shops.