Truck driver held for rape, murder of 6-year girl in Raj

Jaipur: Rajasthan Police on Monday arrested the alleged rapist and murderer of a six-year-old girl who was strangled to death with her own school belt the previous day.

A police sniffer dog squad helped track down and arrest of the culprit within 24 hours after the crime was reported, police officials said.

According to the Tonk SP Adarsh Sidhu, "the rape accused Mahendra allies Dholya is a resident of Khedli village coming under the Aligarh Police station. When confronted, he accepted his crime and spilt the beans."

Briefing the media, Sidhu said that the entire local police machinery swung into action after the heinous crime was reported in Tonk on Sunday and succeeded in nabbing the accused within 24 hours of the crime being reported.

"ASP Tonk Vipin Sharma, CO Uniyara Dinesh Kumar and I, we immediately reached the crime spot. We also got the venue inspected by FSL, MOB Team and dog squad and collected the evidence," Sidhu said.

A post-mortem was conducted, the accused arrested on Monday and a case has been registered against him under the POCSO Act and other relevant sections and further investigation was handed over to the Deputy Superintendent of Police (Women Crime Research Cell) Jagguram, he added.

The police have confirmed that the accused was a truck driver and a resident of the same village as the girl.

Himself in an inebriated condition, the accused lured the girl after offering her chocolate and roamed her in the truck for long. Later, he raped her and strangled her to death with her school belt and threw her body in the bushes a few metres away from the village.

The minor's family members began to search for her when she did not return from school after attending a sports function held on Saturday.

The sniffer dog led the police to the accused's home, who was picked up later in the village.

Expressing his shock at the incident, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday midnight tweeted: "The rape and murder of the 6-year-old is a quite heinous and condemnable crime. The accused shall never be pardoned."