12-year-old girl bludgeoned to death with stone, rape before murder suspected

MUMBAI: A 12-year-old girl was found bludgeoned to death with a stone at Wardha in Maharashtra. Reports say the girl was sexually abused before her death. Her body was found lying in a pool of blood. A stone recovered from the spot is suspected to have been used for the murder. Wardha police superintendent Saurav Kumar Agrawal also upheld this. A medical examination is being conducted to establish the full circumstances.

The body was found when the girl’s parents returned home from the fields. The police immediately started an investigation on her mother’s complaint. According to initial information, she was abused when she returned home from the nearby Zilla Parishad School in the afternoon. Her clothes were found in the vicinity of a nearby agricultural warehouse.

Based on the mother's complaint, the police have registered a case for murder, rape, sexual violence and house trespass along with relevant sections of POCSO Act. Three people have been taken into custody for questioning. The arrest of one among them identified as 30-year-old Rahul Raju Madavi has been recorded. He is a labourer of a nearby farm.

A 14-member team has been assigned to investigate the case. Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Pankaj Bhoyar strongly condemned the murder. He said that the police have immediately started an investigation and that steps are being taken to arrest those involved in the incident.

When the body was being taken home after the postmortem, the girl's family members, relatives and locals protested in front of the hospital. People blocked the road for some time. Locals demanded a speedy trial and death penalty for the accused. Police have now increased security in the area to prevent any untoward incidents.