TIRUVALLUR: Six months after Hema (name changed) was gagged, raped and murdered, her parents are burdened with grief and guilt.  Though the incident happened six months back, it came to light only on February 10, after her skeletal remains were found from a sugarcane field near her house. 
Five people, including a 20-year-old distant relative of Hema and the landlord of the sugarcane field, have been arrested in connection with the case and sent to judicial remand.

The day she went missing, her parents, who work as daily wage labourers in the sleepy village of Poduthurpet, remember walking past a farmhouse in the nearby sugarcane field ‘at least ten times’, calling out her name and looking for her. 
Little did they know that she was being held captive inside the very same building, a stone’s throw away from their arms and safety.      

Over the last few months, they have imagined, time and again, how they could have saved their daughter if only they had checked the farmhouse, or picked up her muffled cries for help from within, or if they had not convinced themselves into believing that Hema had eloped with someone.

“At around 5.30 am on the day after she went missing, we went searching in the sugarcane field. We walked past the same farmhouse, calling out her name. But two men there told us they did not see Hema come that way and asked us to leave. We did not know she was there inside,” says Hema’s father.

“When we began suspecting foul play, the villagers shut us up by saying she would have run away with some guy. Since we are from a low caste, we do not have a say in the village,” says Hema’s mother. “We had just made peace with her disappearance, thinking she would be happy wherever she is... And then we heard about the skeletons in the field.”

‘We were right outside house where she was raped and murdered’

“Hema wanted to become a teacher,” recalls her mother, sitting inside their cramped one-bedroom house. “She left for school on September 7 just like on any other day. She wasn’t alone... She went with two friends. As the school is just a kilometre away from our house, they walk it down,” says her mother.
Hema was kidnapped just a few metres away from her home and taken to the farmhouse. Her friends, who were walking ahead of her, assumed she was right behind them. They realised only after reaching school that Hema had disappeared. The entire area is deserted, with the sugarcane field spanning over 40 acres. There are just a couple of houses in the vicinity, of which Hema’s is one. 

“We rear cows and supply milk to houses in the neighbouring areas. Sometimes, Hema supplies milk on the way to her school,” says her mother. “On the day she went missing, I got a call from one of the customers saying milk hadn’t been delivered yet. So I went to the school to check on Hema and realised that she hadn’t come there yet. I still did not suspect any foul play. I returned home thinking she would have gone to some friend’s house.” The family realised she was gone only around 7 pm that day.      

“We searched everywhere... her friends’ houses, school, everywhere... We couldn’t search the sugarcane field because it had become dark by then. That was a big mistake. Next day when we went over to the farm house, we were told by two men there that our daughter had not come there and were sent away,” says her father.

The parents, however, suspected their neighbour and distant relative, a 20-year-old youngster who used to stalk Hema often. “We told police about him. They detained the youngster for inquiry. But the local landlord who owns the sugarcane field came to his rescue and got him out of the police station,” says the father. Later, it turned out that the landlord was one among the five who raped the child. 

Skeletal remains

“We were trying to find comfort thinking our daughter was happy somewhere,” says the father. “Relatives and friends helped us with the search. Someone offered to drive us to Bengaluru, as one of Hema’s friends had moved there. We suspected she could have gone to visit her. I was convinced that she had eloped,” says her father. “I continued my search for three months. I did not go to work. We managed on the money we earned by selling milk.”  

Six months later, on February 10, a few labourers who had come from Cuddalore to work on the sugarcane farm found skeletal remains half buried in the sand. They also found anklets, ear studs and a school uniform. The bones were recovered and sent to forensics department for investigation. While the 20-year-old stalker relative has been arrested and booked for rape and murder, four of his friends and accomplices in the case, all hailing from a dominant caste group, are absconding. 

Accused pretended to help

Hema’s parents always had a suspicion on their relative. Though he was detained for inquiry right after a missing complaint was filed, he was rescued by his friends. “When the villagers visited the spot along with us when the skeletal remains were found, these five of them also came without showing any signs of remorse,” says the father. “We never thought they could do it.” They were also present when her final rituals were done three days later. “One of the suspects even offered to give us a drive to Bengaluru to check if our daughter had gone there,” says the father, brimming with anger and sorrow. Pothatturpet police inspector G Ramesh says though the prime suspect was detained, he was let off as they did not see anything suspicious. 

‘She was held for five days’

“It appears he first raped the girl and then informed four of his friends, of which one is the landlord of the field. Later, they all joined in and raped the girl continuously for five days,” says the inspector. “They gave her food but never allowed her to leave the house. They kept her gagged at all times.”

“On the sixth day, when the girl started bleeding, the men decided to let her go but threatened her not to disclose what had happened. When she fought back, they hit her in the head with an iron rod, killing her instantly. They then buried her body close to the farmhouse. When search for the girl intensified, they exhumed her body and buried her near the canal,” says Ramesh. 

Accused attended final rituals too
The accused were also present when her final rituals were done three days later. “One of the suspects even offered to give us a drive to Bengaluru to check if our daughter had gone there,” says the father, brimming with anger and sorrow. Pothatturpet police inspector G Ramesh says though the prime suspect was detained, he was let off as they did not see anything suspicious