4 arrested in the alleged rape, murder of 8-year-old girl by man out on bail
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Four people were arrested after the body of an eight-year-old girl who went missing on Tuesday (June 17) evening was discovered in a sack hidden under a pile of bricks inside a residence in Firozabad district's Narkhi police station on Thursday, according to authorities.
The primary accused, Kaushal Kushwaha, was charged with rape, murder, and kidnapping and sustained a leg injury as a result of retaliatory police firing during an encounter, according to authorities. Kushwaha was released on bond in a theft charge. His parents and brother were also detained in connection with the girl's case.
An FIR has been filed against Kushwaha under Section 137(2) (kidnapping) with the added section of 65(2) (rape of girl below 16 years), 66 (death during sexual offence), 103(1) (murder), 238 (disappearance of evidence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant sections of the POCSO Act at Narkhi police station of Firozabad district, Hindustan Times reported.
At the same police station, his relatives have been charged under Section 238 of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, (disappearance of evidence or false statement to screen the offender).
In order to determine the cause of death and whether the child was sexually abused, as claimed by her family members who had first filed a missing person's report on Wednesday, her body has been sent for a post-mortem.
Ravi Shankar Prasad, the superintendent of police (City) of Firozabad said they were awaiting the post-mortem report to determine the cause of death and to confirm whether the victim was sexually assaulted.
According to officials, the young girl was originally from Hathras and had been visiting her grandmother and maternal uncle in a village in Firozabad when she went missing on Tuesday evening.
Police registered a missing person case at the Narkhi police station the following day and began a search operation. During their investigation, they found that the girl had been sent to buy Chinese food from a vendor located around 200 meters away. The vendor confirmed that she had arrived with money to purchase the food.
It was later revealed that Kaushal Kushwaha, a resident of the same village but not a close neighbour, had sent the girl on the errand.
Authorities noted that Kushwaha had a criminal record, having previously been jailed on theft charges, and was out on bail for the past two months. Known locally for alcohol abuse, he was taken in for questioning.
During interrogation, police said, he confessed to strangling the girl and concealing her body in his house. He had also reportedly placed her gold chain in a separate location.
Police officials reported that upon searching Kaushal Kushwaha’s residence, they discovered the body of the missing girl packed inside a sack, concealed among a pile of bricks. Following this, three of Kushwaha’s family members — his father Manish Kumar, his mother, and his brother Arjun Singh — were taken into custody.
During questioning, the accused reportedly disclosed that the gold chain the girl had been wearing was hidden near a roadside area close to a petrol pump.
When police took Kushwaha to recover the chain, he allegedly retrieved a country-made pistol hidden at the spot and opened fire on the officers. In the exchange that followed, he was shot in the leg by the police.
