11-yr-old brutally killed, rape suspected: Police

BHABUA: An 11-year-old schoolgirl was allegedly raped, brutalised and killed at a village in Bihar’s Kaimur district, police said on Thursday.

According to the police, the semi-naked body of the minor girl was found lying on the campus of a residential school for Scheduled Tribes community under Adhaura police station limits of the Maoist-affected Kaimur hills, about 300 km from Patna.

Police said there were signs of brutality on the body, suspecting that the assailants inserted hot iron rods in the mouth of the minor.

Superintendent of police, Kaimur , Rakesh Kumar, confirmed the murder and use of iron rods in killing. He said two suspects have been taken into custody and their interrogations were on. “The body has been sent for post-mortem examination to ascertain whether she was raped or not. Sub-divisional police officer, Bhabua, Sunita Kumari is investigating the case,” Kumar said.

Police said the deceased was a class 5 student at a primary school and had disappeared around 6pm on Wednesday. After she did not return home, her family and villagers launched a search to trace the girl in the night, police said, adding that a villager saw the body lying in semi-naked condition on the high school campus on Thursday morning after which police were informed.

“The girl was murdered with iron rods. As far as rape is concerned, it will be only confirmed once we get the post-mortem report,” said the SP.

Police said based on the complaint by the father of the girl, a case has been registered under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Police said, in his complaint, the girl’s father, who runs a tea shop, has alleged that three workers from West Bengal, who were employed at an under-construction building of the residential school, raped the girl.

“Prima facie, it is clear after seeing the body that she was raped and then murdered. There were holes made in the mouth with hot iron rod,” said Adhaura block pramukh Vipin Kumar.