Gurugram minor rape-murder case: Accused held from Jhansi

The three-year-old girl’s body was found in an abandoned room of Sector 66 of Gurugram on November 12. She was allegedly raped and tortured to death after she was abducted from outside her house.

Gurugram Police on Monday arrested a 20-year-old man, who allegedly raped and murdered a three-year-old girl in Sector 66 on November 11, fromUttar Pradesh’s Jhansi.

The 20-year-old accused was arrested from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh and has confessed to the rape and murder of a three-year-old in Gurugram on November 11. (HT Photo)

Police said the accused Sunil Kumar was expected to be brought to the city late Monday night. Police said Kumar has confessed to the crime. He said he murdered the girl as she could have identified him, police said.

A team of 15 police personnel led by assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Raj Kumar had gone to Gwalior on Friday after a tip-off that accused might visit his relative’s house. He had earlier contacted several of his relatives but no one welcomed him nor anyone informed the police regarding the same, said police.

On Sunday, police got CCTV footage from Gwalior where the accused was seen eating dinner at a religious community kitchen near a temple on Friday. On Monday, they received a tip-off from a person who claimed to have spotted Kumar having lunch at a religious community kitchen around 2 pm in Jhansi.

Soon, ASI Kumar’s team left for Jhansi and arrested the accused close to “Bhairon Baba” temple.

“He told us that he was an alcoholic and often visited the temple where people distribute liquor to fulfill their wishes. He did not spend money on food and drinks and was only fond of buying clothes,’ said ASI Kumar, Crime Investigation Agency of Gurugram Police.

“We recovered Rs 200 from his possession and we are investigating the source of the money,” said Sumit Kuhar, deputy commissioner of police (crime). “He is involved in multiple cases of rape, theft, and assault. He brutally assaulted his mother six months ago and had run from the village after which his mother moved with the two sisters in Gururgam.”

The girl’s body was found in an abandoned room of Sector 66 on November 12. She was allegedly raped and tortured to death after she was abducted from outside her house. The police registered a case under Section 302 (punishment for murder) and Section 6 (aggravated penetrative sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the accused at Sector 65 police station.

CCTV footage allegedly placed the accused with the victim on the day of the incident. Police launched a massive manhunt for the accused of 70 teams comprising 1,200 police personnel for round-the-clock combing operations and raids in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.