Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Bala Bachchan said on Monday that the Bhopal Police have arrested a man for allegedly raping and killing an eight-year-old girl. “The accused, Vishnu Mohare, was arrested from Mortakka village in Khandwa district today,” Bachchan told PTI. “Police will present a challan [official documents] in court in 48 hours.”
The girl went missing after leaving her home in Kamla Nagar area in Bhopal on Saturday evening, to purchase something. Her body was found near a drain on Sunday morning.
Bachchan said the police have collected evidence against the accused. “The government will fast track the case and ensure punishment to the culprit within a month,” he said.
Alok Srivastava, the head of the Kamla Nagar police station, said Mohare, who is in his mid-20s, lived close to the child’s home. A few residents of Kamla Nagar had protested outside the police station on Sunday to demand that the accused be arrested immediately. Mohare was finally arrested at 10 am on Monday.
Additional Superintendent of Police Akhil Patel said the initial autopsy showed the girl died of “strangulation after rape”. He added that the police are waiting for a detailed report.
On Sunday, the child’s uncle had said that when the family approached the police station, the officers did not cooperate with them. The family searched for her at the railway station and in other areas of the city, and finally contacted a local corporator, who alerted the police.
Chief Minister Kamal Nath has declared Rs 5 lakh compensation for the girl’s family, state Public Relations Minister PC Sharma said.
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