The Uttarakhand Police arrested a 22-year-old man in Uttarkashi district on Tuesday for allegedly raping and murdering an 11-year-old girl, the Hindustan Times reported.
According to the police, Mukesh Lal alias Bunty lived in the same neighbourhood as the girl and was known to her parents. The police said Bunty was reportedly in love with the girl’s elder sister who had rejected him. He had allegedly threatened to kidnap the elder sister. On Friday, Bunty went to the girl’s house in a bid to kidnap her, but could not find her there. He then decided to kidnap the younger sister, said the police.
“He was known to the victim and used to tame mules along with her father in the same village,” said Deputy Inspector General (Garhwal range) Ajay Rautela. “He was a jilted lover as her sister had refused his proposals in the past after which he committed the crime out of rage.”
Rautela said initial investigations suggested that Bunty had committed the crime alone and he had no accomplices. “The legal procedures of his arrest are still on,” he said.
Tension prevailed in the area after the 11-year-old girl’s body was found in a culvert on Saturday morning. Residents held rallies demanding that people from outside the state be removed and markets were closed for two days in protest. The rallies were reportedly led by right-wing organisations.
The police, however, have denied the involvement of any outsider in the incident.
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