The 22-year-old accused of raping the three-year-old girl allegedly tried to pass off her screams as the bleating of a goat and claimed she was his niece when neighbours saw her. But her condition betrayed the brutality she was subjected to, said one of Vijay’s neighbours.
“Nobody had seen him taking the girl inside but his next-door neighbour heard the screams of the girl and enquired about it. Vijay initially did not say anything but since the screams would not stop, we kept enquiring and he said he had bought a pet goat,” said Sarita (name changed).
Horrific sight
This reply was unconvincing as the sounds were that of a human baby and those in the locality grew even more suspicious and kept banging at the door of his one-room accommodation. When he finally opened it, it was a horrific sight, Sarita recalled.
“The little girl was trembling in fear, she was crying. She was bleeding profusely and the blood was all over the floor. She was also soiled with urine and stool which she had passed out. There was every sign of a sexual assault,” said Sarita. She added that Vijay had put some clothes back on the girl in a bid to cover up the crime.
“When he was asked to explain, he said the girl was his niece and that he had slapped her to discipline the child. We suspected that was not true as he has always lived alone and never had any visitors. A few men who had gathered there caught hold of him and assaulted him. I went to attend the girl and cleaned her,” said Sarita.
‘More alarmed now’
The neighbours also informed the police, who arrived at the spot and arrested him. Asked if there was anything wrong with his conduct that suggested that he could turn out to be a sexual offender, Sarita said he mostly kept to himself and they never had the chance to observe his behaviour that closely. “This locality is full of young children and after the incident, we are more alarmed,” she said.
