Post-mortem rules out rape, police question kin
LUCKNOW: A day after a 20-year-old woman and her 17-year-old sister were found dead in Bilsanda area of Pilibhit district of western Uttar Pradesh, the police have focused their investigation on the suspected involvement of people close to the girls, including family members, regarding the incident. Two police teams quizzed the family members of the girls, including their mother and brother, separately on Wednesday.
The sisters went missing from their house on Monday evening. The body of the younger sister was found in a field while the elder sister was found hanging from a tree. The bodies were sent for post-mortem examination and the police registered an FIR of murder regarding the incident.
“The post-mortem investigation has revealed that the younger girl died due to strangulation while the cause of death of the elder sister was hanging. The post-mortem investigation has ruled out any possibility of injuries, torture or rape with the girls,” said superintendent of police (Pilibhit) Jaiprakash.
As per police personnel familiar with the matter, suspicion about the role of family members and people known to the girls grew after police team recovered the same kind of rope at the house of the girls which was used to hang the elder sister.
The sisters reportedly worked at a brick kiln in the area and lived in shanties nearby with their mother, elder brother and sister-in-law. The sisters left their home at around 7pm to answer nature’s call. When they didn’t return after a few hours, their family members and relatives went out to search for them.
“The family members continued the search overnight. They found the body of the younger sister around midnight while the body of the elder sister was found in the morning,” said the SP.
The body of the younger sister was found in the field some 200 metres from their home.
The elder sister was found hanging from a tree in a sugarcane field. The family members of the girl refused to speak on the issue despite repeated attempts.
The family members informed the police about the incident in the morning. The family members have not blamed anyone for the deaths, nor have they alleged rape.
Based on their complaint, the police registered a case of murder (section 302 of IPC) against unidentified people regarding the matter. “Additional charges will be added in the case on the basis of findings of post-mortem examination report,” said the SP.
Police personnel familiar with the matter said a mobile phone was recovered from near the body of the elder girl. Police were taking the help of IT experts to recover data from the phone.
“Our teams are in the process of gathering evidence in the matter. Arrest in the matter will be made once substantial evidence is collected,” the SP said.