The nine-year-old daughter of a migrant labourer was allegedly raped and murdered in Moga. The accused, a neighbour, subsequently hanged her body in an attempt to pass off the crime as suicide.
The victim’s family, who hails from Bihar, lives in a rented accommodation in Moga.
The tragedy occurred on May 25 when the victim’s mother was away at work, performing manual labour at the local railway platform. According to the victim’s sisters, they had gone to meet their mother, who is a widow.
Upon returning home, the sisters found the young girl hanging with a dupatta (scarf) in the corridor right outside their rented quarters. The mother and neighbours rushed to the spot, brought the girl down, and rushed her to the hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.
While the scene initially simulated a suicide, the post-mortem examination and forensic evidence quickly turned it into a heinous offence today.
The investigation by the police, combined with the detailed statement given by the grieving mother, revealed that the prime suspect — a youth who hails from Jharkhand and resides in the adjacent quarter — took advantage of the girl being alone. He allegedly subjected the minor to sexual assault and subsequently murdered her, hanging her body in the corridor to mislead the family and police.
Two days after this incident and on the basis of the investigation, medical and postmortem reports, the victim’s mother has alleged that their neighbour had raped and killed her daughter. “Based on the victim’s family’s statement and medical reports, we have registered a case under relevant sections of murder and rape," said Jatinder Singh, DSP, Moga.
The Moga police have registered a formal case against the accused from Jharkhand under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for rape and murder, alongside stringent provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
SHO Varun Kumar confirmed that multiple police teams were conducting raids across suspected hideouts to apprehend the accused.
