Missing Girl Raped and Strangulated to Death in Kerala; Man Arrested
Image for representational purpose. Credit: PTI
Kochi: In a heart-wrenching incident that has left Kerala society in shock, a minor girl was brutally raped and strangulated to death after being abducted by a migrant worker from her house. The police said the five-year-old child's body was found dumped in a sack in a marshy area behind a local market in Aluva. The girl went missing on Friday, and the man was arrested later that day.
"We received the complaint at 7.10 PM, and an FIR was registered before 8 PM on Friday. Our team checked the CCTV visuals and found that the child was with the labourer. We apprehended him at 9.30 PM itself. However, he was in an inebriated state, and the child was not with him," said Ernakulam Rural SP, Vivek Kumar.
Based on the medical examination, the girl was confirmed to have been raped and strangulated to death. The child of a migrant couple from Bihar went missing from her house at the Garage junction near here on Friday evening.
The police arrested the labourer, hailing from Bihar, based on the CCTV visuals. He was staying in a room on the first floor of the building where the child's family resided. The accused initially proved difficult to interrogate and misled the investigation team while intoxicated. However, he confessed to the crime the following morning.
Locals informed the police about seeing the child with the migrant worker near the market area on Friday. Police rushed to the spot, searched the area with the locals, and recovered the girl's body. The area behind the market was isolated, known as a waste dump site, frequented by anti-social elements engaging in alcohol and drug consumption.
The opposition Congress criticised the state police, alleging lapses in tracing the child on time. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheesan, expressed concerns over the safety of children and urged the government to take stern action to control alcohol and drug use in society. KPCC chief K Sudhakaran urged the government to provide appropriate compensation to the victim's family.
State police chief Shaik Darvesh Saheb rejected the charges of lapses, stating the accused was apprehended within an hour after the crime was reported. Ministers, including V Sivankutty, Veena George, and P Rajeeve, condemned the brutal crime and expressed deep sorrow over the incident.
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