Madhya Pradesh: Necklace of herbs on minor’s body helps police nab 3 after 5 months
The body of the 14-year-old girl from Rajasthan was found stuffed in a sack and dumped in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur district five months ago, police said
Bhopal: Three men were arrested on Thursday for allegedly raping and murdering a 14-year-old girl from Rajasthan, whose body was found stuffed in a sack and dumped in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur district five months ago, police said.
The accused were identified as Badri Ninama (42), his brother Ramalal Ninama (50), both construction workers of a private hospital in Udaipur, and Badri’s friend Ramesh Meena (35).
“This was one of the toughest blind cases that we have handled. The minor girl’s body was found but no missing person report matched her description across the three states --- Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Our team visited at least 20 police stations in an effort to identify the girl,” Mandsaur superintendent of police (SP) Abhishek Anand said.
The police found the minor’s body on December 27, 2024. Due to the condition of the body, it was cremated in December but the investigation continued, the officer said.
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A necklace made of 28 herbs, crafted in Rajasthan’s Pratapgarh district and reportedly used to “treat different diseases,” was found around the girl’s neck and helped the police make a breakthrough in the case.
“Five months ago, a quack in Ujjain recognised the herbal necklace and informed the police that it had been made by a quack in Salamgarh village of Pratapgarh to treat different diseases. An elderly man identified the necklace in Salamgarh and recalled that two men from nearby Barwas Kalan village had purchased it about six-seven months ago,” the SP said.
The two men were identified as Badri and Ramalal, both construction workers of PIMS (Pacific Institute of Medical Sciences) hospital in Udaipur. “Their neighbours informed that the men had been seen with a young girl a few months ago who they claimed returned to her home,” SP Anand added.
The Ninama brothers, who were detained on Wednesday, said that the girl was “abandoned at the hospital due to her illness after her mother’s death.” The police identified the girl on Wednesday with the information shared by the accused and with the help of data of the hospital.
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“Badri took her to his village on the pretext of providing treatment. And instead of treatment, Ninama brothers along with Badri’s friend Ramesh Meena, 35, raped her repeatedly. When the girl’s condition worsened, they smothered her to death. They disposed the body in Mandsaur to cover up the crime,” the SP said.
Her father, when contacted on Wednesday, said he believed she was still receiving treatment at the hospital, which is why he didn’t file a missing person’s complaint.
The police will also interrogate the father, who is expected to reach Mandsaur on Thursday night, to investigate if the case involves human trafficking.
“Police arrested all three accused and produced before the court on Thursday. They were sent on police remand,” the SP said.
