TNR News Network
Dharamshala:
A horrifying incident has come to light in Auraiya district of Uttar Pradesh where a minor girl was allegedly raped and murdered by her cousin hours after she tied him a Rakhi. The accused, reportedly under the influence of alcohol, strangled the 14-year-old victim to de*ath and attempted to stage her de*ath as a su*icide.
The crime took place on the night of Rakshabandhan (August 10). The victim, a Class VIII student, had visited her uncle’s house, located just 50 metres from her home and returned around 10 pm. The next morning, her father found her lifeless body on a cot in the verandah, with bloodstains on her clothes and bedsheet.
Police investigation reveals heinous details
A post-mortem confirmed that the girl was sexually assaulted before being murdered. Acting on the father’s complaint, the police registered a case under the POCSO Act and murder charges against the cousin and four others.
During interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime, admitting that he was intoxicated at the time. He claimed he had gone out to relieve himself around midnight when he spotted the girl alone. After assaulting her, he panicked upon seeing excessive bleeding and strangled her to silence her permanently.
Accused’s suspicious behaviour raises red flags
The police noted that the accused, who frequently watched crime shows, tried to mislead investigators by tampering with evidence. Shockingly, he was the one who initially protested the most when the police arrived to take the victim’s body for autopsy, a move that raised suspicions.
The accused’s family belongs to a small community of seven households in the village. At the time of the crime, his wife and children were away at her maternal home for Rakshabandhan.
The accused has been arrested and sent to Etawah Jail while the village remains in shock over the brutal crime that shattered the sanctity of a festival meant to celebrate sibling love.
