15YEAROLD ‘RAPED’ AND MURDERED IN GURDASPUR

GURDASPUR:A 15-year-old girl was murdered after she was allegedly raped at Manepur village of Gurdaspur district on Tuesday night.

The victim, a Class-8 dropout, had gone missing on Tuesday night, her family said. Her father is a combine operator and her mother had died soon after her birth, the police said.

Gurdaspur senior superintendent of police (SSP) HS Bhullar said the girl’s body was found dumped at an abandoned panchayat ghar on the street leading to the village. “The girl seems to have been strangulated to death with her ‘dupatta’ after she was raped,” the SSP said.

Some boys who were playing in the fields spotted the body on Wednesday morning and they informed the girl’s family about it. After getting information, a police team led by Kalanaur station house officer (SHO) Nirmal Singh arrived at the spot and started probe into the matter.

The SSP with senior police officers also reached there. Bhullar said a case under Sections 302, 376 and 511 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against unidentified person(s) at the Kalanaur police station.

The police have sent the victim’s body to the civil hospital for post-mortem. The autopsy has been conducted and the report will be received on Thursday. Bhullar said the police have started a comprehensive inquiry to trace and nab the culprits.