Another accused held in Barabanki rape-murder case

BARABANKI (Uttar Pradesh): A second accused has been arrested in the rape -murder of a Dalit teenager in Barabanki and POCSO Act invoked against both culprits after it was confirmed that the victim was a minor, police said on Sunday.

Additional Superintendent of Police RS Gautam said that accused Rishikesh Singh, 21, was arrested on the basis of information provided by his accomplice Dinesh Gautam,19, who was arrested earlier in the case.

The ASP said the date of birth provided by the primary school of the victim's village revealed she was a minor, and, therefore, charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act have also been included in the case. The police had earlier said she was 18-year-old.

On the day of the incident, which took place under Satrikh police limits of Barabanki district on Wednesday, Rishikesh allegedly informed Dinesh that the girl had gone alone to an agriculture field.

The girl's father had told police on Wednesday evening that she had gone to the fields but did not return home. Later, her family members found her dead. The post-mortem had confirmed that the girl was raped before she was strangled. Dinesh Gautam, a relative of the victim, was arrested on Friday night, ASP said. (IANS)

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