UP: Minor girl’s body found in Lakhimpur fields; parents allege rape and murder

The girl’s parents, in their police complaint, raised the allegations after they found their daughter’s scarf wrapped around her neck

In yet another shocking incident that has surfaced from Uttar Pradesh, a minor girl’s body with strangulation marks was recovered from nearby sugarcane fields in a village in Lakhimpur Kheri district on Tuesday night, which her parents allege is a case of rape and murder.

Representational image.

The parents, in the police complaint, raised the allegations after they found their daughter’s scarf wrapped around her neck.

The incident came to light when the parents panicked after their 13-year-old daughter did not return from the fields after several hours. Later, some local herders entered the sugarcane fields to locate one of their goats, and spotted the girl’s body. They immediately alerted other villagers and her parents.

Inspector General of police Laxmi Singh visited the site of the incident where the victim’s body was recovered, and said, “Preliminary investigations reveal murder by strangulation.”

Based on the complaint, the police have taken some suspects into custody and are interrogating them.

Despite the victim’s parents alleging rape and murder, Singh and Lakhimpur Kheri superintendent of police (SP) Sanjiv Suman asserted that only a post-mortem examination can reveal the truth.

“We can say with certainty about the parents’ allegations only after the post-mortem report arrives,” they said.

Senior police officials, including Suman, additional SP Arun Kumar Singh and deputy SP Lakhimpur Sandip Singh, said the department has inspected the spot where the girl’s body was found, and forensic and fingerprint experts have been pressed into action to collect evidence.

“The body of the girl was recovered from a sugarcane field. An in-camera post-mortem of the body by a panel of doctors will be carried out to ascertain the exact cause of death,” Suman said.