Ludhiana:Mason held by police for 16-year-old’s rape-murder
According to police, the accused raped the girl after taking her to fields when she resisted, he smashed her head against the railway line and strangled her to death. The accused later dumped the body in the field, the officials said.
The local police arrested a mason on rape and murder charges, less than 24 hours after a 16-year-old girl’s naked body with its mouth gagged was found next to a railway crossing near Alaud village, officials said.
According to police, the accused raped the girl after taking her to fields when she resisted, he smashed her head against the railway line and strangled her to death. The accused later dumped the body in the field, the officials said.
The minor hailed from Iqbal Nagar in Mandi Gobindgarh and was missing since March 11, they added.
Police identified the accused as Sanjeet Kumar, 26, from Mandi Gobindgarh. He is married and has two children. According to police, the accused befriended the victim 10 days before the incident when he worked near the house of the girl. He bought a mobile phone for her a few days ago, police officials said.
Khanna deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Amritpal Singh Bhatti said the matter came to fore when one Dalvir Singh from Alaud village found the body on March 13 and alerted sarpanch Gurmail Singh, who then informed the police.
Police had found the minor’s clothes on the other side of the railway tracks.
Police had initially registered a case under sections 103 (1) and 3 (5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against unidentified accused at the Sadar Khanna police station.
DSP Bhatti said that when police made announcements in the surrounding areas, a family from Mandi Gobindgarh identified the body as their daughter. The family originally hailed from Uttar Pradesh.
He said the during investigations, police uncovered the accused’s relations with the victim, He said the girl had shared details of the relationship with her sister. The family members expressed suspicion that Sanjeet had abducted the girl on pretext of marriage.
The DSP added that police traced Sanjeet during questioning, he confessed to the crime. After his admissions, police have added rape sections to the first-information report (FIR).
