Indian police arrest main suspect after girl raped and burnt alive

POLICE in India have arrested the chief suspect in a gang rape and murder case in which a 16-year-old girl was burnt to death in front of her family.

Eighteen men are suspected over the death of the girl in the hill state of Jharkhand, the latest in a series of brutal attacks to rock the country.

The government is facing public outrage over the treatment of women and children after several high-profile cases, including the rape and murder of an eight-year-old Muslim girl by a group of Hindu men in Kashmir.

In response to protests across the country and calls for stricter laws, the government announced last month that it would be introducing the death penalty for convicted child rapists. Minimum sentencing terms have also been raised and provisos issued that no rape case should take more than two months to prosecute.

Senior police and state officials have descended on the village of Raja Kendua, 100 miles from the state capital of Ranchi, after the most recent case made national headlines.

The girl was allegedly abducted by four young men from near her house and raped as the rest of the family attended a wedding, police said. The family complained to the village panchayat (council of elders) on Friday morning, and the tribal chiefs told the accused to pay Rs50,000 (£488) to the victim’s family as restitution.

Enraged over the verdict, the four youths allegedly went to the house of the girl, assaulted family members and burnt the girl to death, investigating officers said. Police mobilised into action when Raghubar Das, the state’s chief minister, expressed his grief over the murder on Twitter. Mr Das assured people that no one involved in the incident would be spared.

Action would also be taken against the village leaders for mishandling such a serious matter, police said. The state administration also announced financial support of Rs250,000 (£2,800) for the victim’s family.

Some 16 suspects have been arrested, with two more wanted, according to police. Three were arrested on Friday night, while 11 others were held on Saturday, and two more yesterday.

“No one involved in the incident will be spared. We will provide security to family members till they feel secure,” Shambhu Thakur, the inspector general of Chatra Police, told reporters.

Insp Gen Thajkur added that the arrested suspects included two village council members.