A 40-year-old man was remanded to four-day police custody for allegedly raping and killing an 8-year-old girl in Surat. While her relatives protested in the Katargam neighbourhood calling for the culprit to be given the death penalty.
The girl was lured by the man on December 7 while she was playing outside her home, according to the police. Then, after bringing the girl to his place, he sexually assaulted her before strangling her. The man then locked the door and fled, keeping the girl’s body in a gunny bag under the bed, as per the authorities.
The girl’s parents, who are from Odisha, were looking for her in the neighbourhood at the same time and later reported her missing to the police. The search effort included teams from the Chowk Bazaar police, Special Operations Group, and Crime Branch. They discovered from CCTV footage that the girl had not left the neighbourhood. They discovered a locked room in the neighbourhood after searching homes in the society.
After his family returned to their home in the Patan district, the man was discovered by the police to be staying there by himself. When the girl’s body was found, they smashed in the door and searched. Her parents recognised the body, and the New Civil Hospital performed a postmortem. Under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, the man has been charged with kidnapping, rape, and murder.
Detectives from the Surat Crime Branch detained the suspect and gave him to the Chowk Bazaar police, who brought him before the judge. “The accused is a bike lifter who is involved in 14 such cases registered with Katargam, Umra, Mahidharpura, Katargam and Chowk Bazaar police stations. He was earlier arrested in such cases,” an inspector of the Surat crime branch said.
Family members of the girl protested on Friday in the Katargam neighbourhood and urged that the defendants be given the death sentence. Police wanted to keep him in custody for seven days while bringing him before the Surat district court, but the judge only ordered a four-day hold.
“The accused was staying with his parents and is unmarried. Further investigation is on,” the police further added.
