Police made a second arrest in the Barabanki rape and murder case of a Dalit teenager, whose body was found in a field here, and also added charges under the POCSO Act upon discovering that she was a minor, an official said Saturday. .
Additional Police Superintendent RS Gautam said that Rishikesh Singh, aka Rishu, 21, was arrested based on information provided by his associate Dinesh Gautam (19), who was detained on Friday in connection with the case.
The ASP said that the date of birth provided by the elementary school has revealed that the victim was a minor, and thus charges under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO) have also been included.
Police had previously said he was 18 years old. The ASP said on Saturday that Dinesh confessed to his role in the crime after persistent questioning and also provided various vital supplies on the basis of which Rishikesh, who runs a shop in the village, was arrested.
He said that the two defendants committed the alleged crime in a planned manner. On the day of the incident, which took place under the boundaries of the Barabanki district Satrikh police, Rishikesh reportedly informed Dinesh that the girl had gone to the agricultural field alone, indicating a plan behind the crime, the ASP said.
Post-mortem examination confirmed that the girl was raped before being strangled and charges related to the rape were included in the FIR registered at the Satrikh police station, he said.
On Friday, the ASP had said: “We have arrested Dinesh Gautam (19), who is a relative of the victim. He has confessed to the crime. We are questioning him. ”The girl’s father had informed the police on Wednesday night that she had gone to the countryside but did not return home. Later, members of her family found her dead.
A police team had visited the village and gathered evidence before presenting an FIR, the police officer said.
This rape and murder case came days after a 19-year-old Dalit woman died after being assaulted and allegedly gang-raped in Hathras district, sparking outrage across the country.
The Hathras woman died in a Delhi hospital on September 29.
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