Girl, 9, strangled after rape by relative on Janmashtami night in Hanumangarh

A minor girl was brutally raped and murdered by a distant relative in Rajasthan Hanumangarh district.

The incident took place on the night of Janmashtami. According to police officials, the young girl had gone to play at a relative's house on Saturday night to partake in Janmashtami festivities. However, she did not return home. After an anxious night and hours of searching by her family, her lifeless body was found early the next morning.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the girl was sexually assaulted before being strangled to death. The accused, who has now been arrested by police, is reported to be a distant relative of the victim.

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

He used to visit the family frequently. That evening, the accused was drunk. When the girl came home, he first raped her and then strangled her to death when she protested. He was alone as his wife had gone to Ludhiana.

Investigation indicated that after the murder, the accused put the girl's body in a sack and locked it in an iron box. The accused 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 death due to rape and strangulation. A case of rape and murder has been registered, and the POCSO Act is also being explored.

Investigation revealed that the accused had bought liquor from an illegal liquor shop operated in the locality under the guise of a warehouse for months, where liquor was being sold openly. When the matter escalated, Excise Inspector Princedeep reached the spot and sealed the shop.

District Excise Officer Sanjeev Patwari admitted that the shop was illegal, but he says that no one had complained about it.

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