Angry residents protested outside Uttam Nagar police station on Thursday morning after an eight-year-old girl was raped and murdered by her relative in the locality.
The neighbours of the victim’s family demanded expulsion of the accused family from the area, alleging that the latter had always been on the wrong track. “He was a drug addict and jobless,” protesters said.
The girl, who had gone missing on Tuesday evening, was found dumped in a drain not far from her house on Thursday. The accused, who is suspected to be a juvenile, was apprehended on Thursday.
Talking to The Pioneer, the girl’s father Guddu said, “When police apprehended the accused first on Tuesday, I asked them to release him as I thought he was not the culprit. later when my daughter’s body was fished out from a drain and the accused was questioned, he confessed to have murdered my daughter.
Girl’s mother Anita said, “My daughter, who was to be enrolled in class II, always used to inform me whenever she ventured out of the house but this time she did not. And when the accused was apprehended on Tuesday, his family barged into our house and warned us of dire consequences following which my husband got him released.”
The elder brother of the accused, Manu, alleged that police forced his brother to confess to the crime. Also, the mother of the accused, Ratna, said, “My son can’t do this and is being unnecessarily implicated in the case.”
Meanwhile, enraged locals set ablaze Manu’s bike and did not allow him and his parents to enter the area following which the entire family left the place and stayed in police station.
locals said, “A few days ago the accused was heard talking that he was going to do something big. We did not pay heed as he was always seen loitering round in an inebriated state.”
A shopkeeper whose shop is situated just two houses from the victim’s said, “Moreover on the day of crime he (accused) bought two biscuits from me in the evening and now I suspect if he used that to lure the girl.”