Police officials said the post-mortem examination did not find any sign of sexual assault
A two-and-half-year-old girl was strangled to death and her eyes gouged out after her parents allegedly failed to pay a debt of Rs 10,000 in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh.
The police found the mutilated body in a garbage dump near the victim’s house on June 2. Senior Superintendent of Police Akash Kulhari told PTI that the girl had gone missing from Tappal township on May 31.
On the basis of a complaint lodged by the victim’s father, the police have apprehended two accused – Zahid and Aslam.
Police officials told PTI that the post-mortem examination did not find any signs of sexual assault and that death of the victim was due to strangulation.
While media reports have suggested that the accused have been charged under Section 302 (murder) and 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Kulhari told PTI that in view of the gravity of the crime, proceedings have begun to charge the duo under the stringent National Security Act. He said a process has also started to follow this case through a fast track court.
Meanwhile, the victim’s father demanded the arrest of other family members, saying the gruesome crime could not have been carried out without their knowledge. The victim's parents have also demanded death penalty for the accused.
People in Tappal township are also up in arms, alleging laxity on the side of the police. Reportedly, the FIR was filed only after 30 hours of the kidnapping. Security measures at the town, 50 km from the district headquarters, have been tightened as a precautionary step after tension mounted there on June 5.
