One arrested in Odisha minor gang rape and murder case

Odisha Sun Times Bureau

Jagatsinghpur, Aug 22:

Police today arrested one person in connection with the shocking gang rape and murder of a seven year old minor girl on Thursday evening in a village under Tirtol police limits in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district.

Sheikh Akil, a suspect in the crime who was detained by the police on Thursday after being handed over by the locals, was arrested today after prima facie evidence of his involvement in the gang rape was found during interrogation, police said.

A seven year old minor girl of the minority community from Manumahala village in Krishnanandpur panchayat under Tirtol police limits, who had gone to the local market on Thursday evening, was forcibly taken to an abandoned house by some youths and killed after being gang raped, reports said.

The minor girl, who was found by some locals from the abandoned house with scratch marks on her neck and injuries all over her body, was taken to a private nursing home in Cuttack where doctors declared her dead. Her mouth had been gagged with sand when she was found, eyewitnesses said.

Tension prevailed in the area after locals reached the village with the body of the minor girl.

On being informed about the gruesome incident, police reached the village at around 10 pm and began its investigation. Locals handed over a youth to the police suspecting him to be one from among those behind the crime.

Unconfirmed sources said a relative of the deceased minor who used to visit her house is suspected to have committed the crime along with his accomplices.

Jagatsinghpur SP Satyabrata Bhoi, who visited the village today, said; “The arrested youth Sheikh Akil is a known criminal. He has several cases pending against him in various police stations. Investigations are on. We suspect involvement of two to three more persons in the crime.”

The police today handed over the body of the minor to her family after conducting autopsy by the scientific team at Cuttack.

Palpable tension prevails in the area after the gruesome act.