The Aligarh Police have arrested a 17-year-old for the rape and murder of a minor Dalit girl in a village in Akrabad area of the district on Wednesday.
Muniraj G., Senior Superintendent of Police, Aligarh, said the Class 8 dropout from the neighbouring village was in police custody and had confessed to the crime.
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The accused was watering a wheat crop around noon on February 28, when the victim came to the field to collect fodder for her goats.
“He was watching a porn film on his mobile. He tried to sexually assault the girl and when she resisted, he strangulated her with her chunni (stole). He then dragged her body for a few metres to hide it in another field,” Mr. Muniraj said.
He threw her stole in the canal and her slippers in another field.
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The boy led them to the slippers of the deceased, Mr. Muniraj said.
Police sources said the accused knew the deceased as he used to go to her village to fetch milk. He knew that the girl had a speech impairment. When she went to drink water from the water canal near the tree where he was sitting, he overpowered her and forced her to indulge in unnatural sex. When she refused, he first smothered her face and then strangulated her. He dragged her body and placed it in the field of a resident of her village so that suspicion would fall on him.
The 14-year-old victim was living with her maternal grandmother. The postmortem report indicated death by strangulation. Injury marks were found on the face, neck and chest. Rectal and vaginal swabs had been sent for forensic investigation.
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He said the accused would be prosecuted under sections 302 and 376 of the IPC, and relevant sections of the POCSO Act 2012. “We have also added section 201 of the IPC and relevant sections of the SC/ST Act 1989. We will ensure the accused gets the strictest possible punishment.”
Mr. Muniraj said the police would conduct a drive in rural areas to spread awareness among families against juveniles watching porn material.
