In yet another shocking incident of crime against women, three minor girls - aged 6, 9 and 11 - were raped, killed and their bodies dumped in a well in Bhandara district of Maharashtra.
The three sisters went missing on 14 February from their village Murmadi in the Lakhni tehsil of Bhandara. The girls were returning home from school. Two days after they went missing their school bags and slippers were found near a farm well and their bodies were discovered inside the well.
Post-mortem reports have confirmed that the girls were raped and killed before their bodies were dumped into the well. The well is located near a farmhouse and a dhaba near the outskirts of the village.
Initially, police registered a case of accidental death, but after the post-mortem report confirmed that the girls were sexually assaulted and murdered, they registered the case under relevant sections of IPC against unidentified persons, CNN-IBN reported.
The girls' mother, who works as a domestic help, was away from home. They were hungry and left home in search of food on Thursday. In the evening, the mother filed a missing complaint.
"We have checked out 100 to 150 people and interrogated 10 to 15. Six-seven special teams have been formed to probe the incident," Rajendra Singh, Inspector General of Police, Nagpur Range told NDTV.
On Tuesday, Union minister Praful Patel visited the mother at her home in Bhandara district.
"As a father of three daughters, I am appalled at the atrocity committed on these girls. I have raised the matter with the chief minister to ensure financial assistance to the widow, speedy investigation and a fast track trial of the accused. If need be, the probe should be given to the state CID or an SIT. The culprits should be given death punishment," Patel said, according to IANS.
