A 16-year-old boy was taken into custody by Pratapgarh police on Monday in connection with the killing and gang-rape of a 19-year-old girl. Her body was found hanging from a mango tree at Kakraha Miriya village under the limits of Manikpur police station on Sunday.
Details of the Incident
Superintendent of Police (Pratapgarh) Deepak Bhukar told TOI that the deceased girl, an intermediate pass out, had an affair with a minor boy who was her maternal aunt's son. She used to talk to him using her father's mobile phone.
Bhukar added, "The deceased girl first met with the boy on Saturday evening and also called him late at night, asking him to meet her at the mango orchard." When she reached the field, the accused boy along with one of his friends was already present.
The Assault and Murder
The friend of the accused boy allegedly filmed both the girl and her lover in a compromising state and threatened to upload it on social media. The friend also raped the girl. In the meantime, the deceased girl had an altercation with her lover for cheating her. The duo allegedly suffocated her to death, hung the body on a tree, and escaped.
On Sunday morning, the body of the girl was found hanging from a tree. Her slippers and clothes containing blood stains were found about 20 meters away from the body. The autopsy report revealed smothering and sexual assault as the cause of death.
Police Action
Family members told police that they had spotted the girl around 1 am on Sunday night but found her missing on Sunday morning. The brother of the victim lodged an FIR under appropriate sections of BNS with Manikpur police station. Police are searching for the friend of the prime accused, who managed to escape from the village after the incident.
