17-YEAR-OLD RAPE SURVIVOR BEATEN TO DEATH BY KIN IN M.P; FATHER DETAINED: POLICE

BHOPAL/JABALPUR: A 17-yearold girl was allegedly killed by her family members, who saw a neighbour rape her at their house in Jabalpur, police officials familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

The father of the minor has been detained for questioning, the officials added.

While the family members of the girl claimed she died by suicide, police said the postmortem exam report confirmed she was brutally beaten up before her death, pointing towards homicide.

Jabalpur superintendent of police Siddharth Bahuguna said, “The father of the girl came to the police station on Monday night claiming their 21-year-old neighbour raped his daughter in their house by threatening to defame her in the locality. He further claimed that the girl’s mother saw the incident and shouted for help, but the accused hit her and fled.”

The SP added, “The father came to the police station two hours after the incident. When police reached the victim’s house to register her statement, she was found dead. The family members, who were present at home, said the girl died by suicide by strangulating herself.”

During the course of investigation, it was found that the girl was beaten up before death, the SP said, adding prima facie it was a case of homicide.

On Tuesday, police registered a case against an unidentified person under Section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO) Act. Police said they are questioning the girl’s father, adding that further investigation was on.