New Delhi: On Saturday night, when the mother and brother of a 15-year-old girl in Alaicherra locality of Assam’s Hailakandi district returned home from a family function, they found the minor’s smartphone lying outside the main door of their house. Gripped by fear, they rushed inside and found the girl lying dead in a pool of blood on the floor.
“My child’s body lay mutilated in a pool of blood. There were cuts all over,” her mother, 34, told ThePrint over phone Tuesday.
She said her daughter had been raped and killed and several household utensils used to mutilate her body, so much so that she could barely recognise her child. “Her face had been smashed and body mutilated. There was blood all over.”
According to the Assam Police, around midnight Saturday, when the minor’s mother and 10-year-old brother returned home from family festivities, they found her body in a pool of blood. “They immediately alerted the police and we reached the spot and found the body drenched in blood,” said Amitava Sinha, SSP of Hailakandi.
Following a trail of text messages and social media account analysis, the police have identified four suspects in the case and arrested three who have been booked under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to rape and murder.
“Of the four, we arrested three between 1 and 2 August,” said Sinha, naming two as Apu Malakar (18) and Joydeep Ree (19) while the third is a minor aged 16.
According to the initial investigation, the deceased and Apu Malakar attended the same school and knew each other. “They had known each other and all three of the accused lived nearby,” said Sinha.
While the girl’s mother has alleged gangrape, the police told ThePrint that they are awaiting medical reports to ascertain the allegations. “The FSL team has collected all the necessary evidence and is yet to produce a conclusive report,” said the SSP. The police have also formed an SIT to monitor the case.
The 1 August incident has since drawn widespread protests across Hailakandi and in several parts of Barak valley. Protesters blocked National Highway 6, that connects Assam to Mizoram. Videos viral on social media showed the crowds demanding justice.
The deceased’s mother said she continues to sit in her house holding her daughter’s clothes. “I am a single mother with limited means. I used to look forward to bringing up my daughter and 10-year-old son, always telling them to look out for each other. Now she is no more,” she told ThePrint.
She added that her husband died four years ago and she used to wait for her elder son to send money back home from Bengaluru, to give her children a good upbringing. “My husband used to sell vegetables so we never had a lot, but now I have nothing,” the mother said.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also Read: Varanasi cops arrest 4 for abducting, gang-raping minor & threatening to release video of act