As India is still ruing over the rape of an 8-year-old girl in Kathua, Jammu and Kashmir, another incident has emerged from Etah district in Uttar Pradesh where a 7-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered Tuesday, April 17. The girl was attending a wedding ceremony when she was raped by a youth who was hired to set up tents for the occasion.
Sonu Jatav, the suspect, had fled the spot after he raped and murdered the girl. However, he was later caught by the local police, The Times of India reported.
The girl had come to attend a wedding ceremony in Sitalpur and her parents noticed that she was missing during the garland exchange ceremony. While the parents and family members were searching for the missing girl, they eventually found her semi-naked body with blood stains.
"Later at around 1:30 am, the unconscious girl was found in semi-naked condition, with strangulation mark on her neck. Her abdomen also had blood stains," a source told TOI.
The victim's body was found in an under-construction house -- a place close to the wedding venue.
"The girl's body has been sent for post-mortem, while the accused has been arrested. Based on the written complaint of victim's family, the accused Sonu has been booked under IPC section 302 (murder), 376 (rape) and POCSO act," said Akhilesh Chaurasia, the superintendent of police in Etah.
The girl was taken to a nearby government hospital where she was brought dead. According to the report, the victim and the youth belonged to the same village. "The victim and accused hailed from the same village, and probably he lured the victim while her parents, guests, and others were busy during the wedding ceremony," the source added.
On April 11, a Dalit girl had filed a complaint against a man for allegedly raping her by offering her food laced with drugs in Etah. While a college student from Agra had allegedly raped an 8-year-old girl March 17. Her body was found in a local ground, TOI reported.
