13-YEAR-OLD DIES AS TWO FAMILIES CLASH OVER THEFT

GREATER NOIDA: A 13-year-old girl died after two families clashed over a suspected theft in Greater Noida’s Kasna area on Monday, said police.

Police identified the victim as Rekha, the daughter of 40-yearold Ramu Mali. Police have registered a case and arrested five suspects. Both the victim’s family and the suspects are from Bulandshahr and live in Ladpura village in Kasna, said police.

Kasna police station house officer Sudhir Kumar said that Mali is the caretaker of a mango garden in Ladpura village and lives with family in a makeshift house there. The suspect, 45-year-old Dhara Singh, is also a gardener and he works in a different plot. He too lives with his family in the neighbourhood, Kumar said.

On August 16, police said, Mali noticed some goods missing from the garden and he suspected that Singh’s family stole them.

“On Monday, Singh and Mali argued over the issue and soon other family members also got involved and assaulted each other,” said Kumar.

Additional deputy commissioner of police (Greater Noida) Vishal Pandey said Rekha tried to pull her father away from the melee.

“In the process, she too was roughed up and she suffered critical injuries. She was rushed to the Greater Noida Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) where she died,” he said. The victim’s father filed a complaint against Singh and four of his family members, Ravi, Gaurav, Saurav and Rani.

Pandey said a case was registered against them under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code.

“All five suspects were produced in court, which sent to judicial custody,” said Kumar.