Kolkata, Oct 23 (PTI) One person was arrested in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district, police said on Wednesday.
Two others have also been detained for their suspected involvement in the crime.
The incident took place in Jaigaon area, where the girl had been missing since October 15. Her family had filed a missing person’s report.
On October 22, police recovered her body, which appeared to have been set ablaze, in Jaigaon.
“We launched an investigation and began reviewing CCTV footage from various locations and neighbouring towns. In one of the clips, she was seen with a 50-year-old man from the same locality where the girl lived,” a police officer said.
The suspect had also gone missing, but police eventually tracked him near the India-Nepal border and took him into custody. Two other individuals believed to be his associates were also detained.
“We suspect, and there are allegations, that the girl was raped and then murdered. The accused then tried to burn her body to destroy the evidence,” the officer added.
Charges of kidnapping and murder, along with offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, have been filed against the main suspect, the police said.
The woman’s family and local residents have held protests in the area, demanding severe punishment for those responsible.
The incident comes close on the heels of the rape and murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata and two-month-long protests by junior doctors in the state. PTI PNT ACD
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