Court sends rape, murder accused to nine-day custody

The accused had been admitted to Jalandhar Civil Hospital after being assaulted by agitated residents when the incident came to light on Saturday.

Three days after a 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered, police on Tuesday arrested the 46-year-old accused and obtained his custody for nine days.

Accused was discharged on Tuesday morning, following which police immediately took him into custody and produced him in court.

The accused had been admitted to Jalandhar Civil Hospital after being assaulted by agitated residents when the incident came to light on Saturday. He was discharged on Tuesday morning, following which police immediately took him into custody and produced him in court.

Commissioner of police Dhanpreet Kaur Randhawa said the court has granted nine-day police custody, during which the accused will be intensively questioned to establish how he killed the victim.

“We have already gathered key evidence, including CCTV footage from the crime spot, besides collecting forensic samples. A board of doctors has conducted the postmortem, and the exact cause of death will be confirmed in the autopsy report,” Randhawa said.

Terming it a heinous crime, she added, “No leniency will be tolerated. We are examining all provisions under the POCSO Act.” The official also expressed serious concern over some digital and electronic media outlets publicly revealing the identity of the victim and her family.

Police said prima facie it appears the girl was strangled to death.

A case has been registered under Sections 103 (murder) and 65(1) (rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the POCSO Act.

Meanwhile, the state women’s commission on Tuesday sought a detailed report from the police by November 26.

Police said the victim lived in the adjoining house. Her body was found in a washroom of the accused’s home, triggering widespread anger. The accused, who is the father of the victim’s best friend, was caught and beaten by locals before his arrest.

According to police, the girl had gone to the accused’s house to meet his daughter when the incident occurred. The accused was alone at home on November 22 as his wife and daughter were away.

The victim’s family filed a missing complaint that evening when she failed to return home. They searched for her but, unable to locate her, approached the police.

After the complaint was registered, a police team was sent to search for the girl but returned without any leads, and the house of the accused was not checked.

Randhawa has since suspended the concerned ASI for negligence of duty.

Later, locals reviewed CCTV footage that showed the girl entering the accused’s house around 4 pm and not leaving. Suspicious, they entered the house and discovered her body in a washroom.