------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660 Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------- Minor gang-raped, murdered at Betul ------------------------------------------------- Gloom descended on the fishing hub of Betul on Sunday afternoon after miscreants gang- raped a 10-year old girl before strangulating her to death.
Cuncolim police in a swift action arrested three of the alleged accused for rape and the cold-blooded murder. Police are on the lookout for the remaining accused.
The gruesome incident� which sent shock waves in the neighbouring villages� occurred between 1.15 pm to 1.30 pm when the victim�s father had gone out to neighbouring Cutbona jetty to procure their lunch packet.
The innocent girl who was alone in the house was watching TV while a labourer was working outside on of a fishing net. However, 15 minutes later when the father returned, he found his daughter missing from the house.
�I tried to trace her in the immediate neighborhood since it was lunch time, but in vain,� the father, Lohialas Paramuadi Kumar, a native of Kerala told Herald at the Assolna police outpost late this evening.
With fear and anxiety gripping him, Kumar went to the rear side of the house, where he stumbled upon her daughter lying in a pool of blood in a small dingy room.
An alarm raised by Kumar attracted the attention of the locals, who police claim, later helped in nabbing two of the accused on the hillock after a hot chase.
The victim was later rushed to a local medical practitioner, but was declared dead. Her body has been sent to Hospicio mortuary and the post-mortem is expected to be conducted on Monday.
Superintendent of Police, South I D Shukla told Herald that one of the arrested accused is the labourer employed with Kumar. His name was provided as Raju from Andhra Pradesh. The other two accused are Raju from Orissa and Nitin from Himachal Pradesh. They are employed on fishing trawlers.
Replying to a question, Shukla said the police suspect that involvement of at least five persons in the rape. He said the girl was later strangulated to death with a nylon rope.
According to him, the accused might have befriended the victim on the pretext of watching TV. The victim might not have suspected the accused since they were the friends of her father�s lone employee, he added.
He pointed out that the accused had earlier in the day participated in Holi revelries as gulal was found sprinkled on their faces.
Kumar along with his wife and lone daughter has been staying in the rented premises at Postwado, Betul near the choir manufacturing unit for the last five years. The victim girl was studying in Std V at at local school.
Kumar was running a tea stall at the Cutbona jetty, besides doing the business of fish-net repairing.
Even late this evening, local villagers were seen trickling into Betul upon hearing the news. A police dog was also requisitioned at the site to help the investigation.
The police force was deployed at Betul as a precautionary measure. Besides Shukla, Additional Superintendent of Police, Prabudessai, Sub Divisional Police Officer Umesh Gaonkar also visited the site. Cuncolim Police Inspector Manjunath is investigating. ---------------------------------- HERALD 8/03/04 Page 1 ----------------------------------
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