CBI takes over Hathras gang-rape case, begins probe

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday said it had registered a case and taken over the investigation of the Hathras gang rape-murder of a 19-year-old Dalit woman.

The CBI registered the case on a complaint of the victim's brother who alleged that an accused had tried to strangulate her sister in a millet field on September 14.

The case was earlier probed by the Uttar Pradesh Police. The agency took over the case following the a request by the Uttar Pradesh government and further notification from the central government.

The CBI said that it has constituted a special team to probe the case, which led to the widespread criticism of the UP government after the victim was hurriedly cremated by Hathras police on September 30.

The woman died at a Delhi hospital on September 29, a fortnight after she was allegedly raped at her village by four upper-caste men.