Bengal :An eight-year-old minor girl was brutally gangraped and murdered in the wee hours on Thursday at Rajnagar village in east Midnapore. Eyewitnesses claimed that the minor was hanging from a tree when her family members and other villagers traced her in the morning. She was hanged after being strangulated with a belt, said villagers.
The angry mob attacked the house of Ratan Das, who was accused in the crime. Das, 60, was lynched and his house was set on fire. Police could rescue two other accused persons who were also beaten by the irate mob.
The minor victim was a student of a local primary school, Mulakhop Primary school. She was missing since Wednesday evening. The villagers and her parents searched for her the whole night, however, they did not lodge a missing complaint. On Thursday, her body was found hanging with a belt from a tree.
The family members of the victim have lodged a complaint of gangrape and murder against three accused persons, including Ratan Das, who was lynched on Thursday morning. The villagers claimed that Ratan Das was notorious in the village for misbehaving with minor girls and he was warned several times by the villagers.
Sukesh Jain, SP, east Midnapore said, “Police reached the spot and recovered the body of the victim. The family members did not file a police complaint yesterday. Police rushed to the spot after the local police station was informed. We could rescue two of the accused persons while the prime accused has been lynched. We have sent the body of the victim for an autopsy. A case of gang rape and murder has been registered. We are now investigating into the matter.” Meanwhile, a huge police force has been sent to the village to maintain peace in the area.
