Body of kidnapped and raped 6-year-old girl found on roof of mosque in Ghaziabad
Ghaziabad, Oct 08: A six-year-old girl, who had gone missing outside her house in Muradnagar on Saturday, was found raped and murdered on Sunday.
Her body was spotted on the roof of a mosque in her locality falling under the jurisdiction of the Muradnagar police station on Sunday morning. The police confirmed that she had been raped after they received the results of the autopsy.
The class 2 student had gone missing around 12.45pm on Saturday. Her family said that they had complained to the police the same day, who then lodged an FIR for kidnapping against unidentified persons on Saturday night. However, after the discovery of the body, which bore injury marks on the face and legs, her family has alleged the involvement of their neighbours, including the local councillor.
“The autopsy report confirmed that there was sexual assault and she died of strangulation,” Vaibhav Krishna, senior superintendent of police (SSP), said.
He added that the case will now be converted under the Indian Penal Code’s sections of murder and rape, and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act will also be levied.
The girl was to turn seven in December and was the second of her four siblings. Her father runs a private school in Muradnagar.
“My daughter and my younger son had gone to a local market to buy fruit juice on Saturday afternoon. While my son returned home, my daughter did not. In the footage from the CCTV camera installed in the colony, she is seen walking away from the house but the camera could not capture any more of her movements. We searched for her everywhere, including in the mosque, until 3am on Sunday. But she could not be traced. In the meantime, we also complained to the police,” the girl’s father said.
He said her body was spotted by people offering namaz at the mosque around 5.45am on Sunday.
“We were offering namaz and heard some monkeys jumping on the roof. Some people went upstairs to drive them away and one of them spotted her legs sticking out. He called others. I also ran upstairs and found that it was my daughter. We have long-standing enmity with our neighbours and suspect their involvement. We have told the police about that as well,” he said.
The houses of the girl and the suspects are close to the mosque.
Considering the gravity of the incident, the police deployed personnel at the mosque as well as the locality. The officials said that barring women and an ailing patient, persons from the suspected family were not found at their home.
The girl’s father said that during the 2012 local body elections, his cousin had contested against the suspects but lost.
“Since my cousin was contesting, I accompanied him for canvassing. My neighbours tried to pressurise me against doing that, but I continued to support him. Three months ago, they severely beat up my cousin and we lodged a police complaint. Thereafter, elders from the locality asked us to reach a compromise,” he added.
He added that during the local body elections in 2018, his neighbours called him over to their house several times, but he refused to go.
“Everyone from the locality went to their house, but I did not go despite several calls. They were offended and that is why they nursed a grudge against me,” he added.
The police have formed teams and trying to trace the suspects.
“The family has alleged that their neighbours are involved in the murder. The suspects, including the councillor, are on the run. We are investigating the case in detail and are probing all angles. Teams have been formed to trace the suspects, so we can question them,” SSP Krishna added.
Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Trump pauses Project Freedom, claims great progress for final agreement with Iran
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump has suspended “Project Freedom,” to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, claiming progress in negotiations with Iran toward an agreement to end the war.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said, “Great progress has been made toward a complete and final agreement with representatives of Iran.”
“Based on the request of Pakistan and other Countries, the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran and, additionally, the fact that Great Progress has been made toward a Complete and Final Agreement with Representatives of Iran, we have mutually agreed that, while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed," Trump said.
Project Freedom was launched on Monday to escort ships, stranded due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, out to safety. Trump had announced the operation on Sunday and the US Central Command began implementing it the next day.
However, the Project led to friction in the vicinity of the narrow seaway, a key route for transporting one-fifth of the global oil supplies, with the UAE claiming that its ships were attacked by Iran. The US also claimed to have destroyed several Iranian small boats.
Trump’s statement on Truth Social came hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Operation Epic Fury, launched on February 28, had concluded as its objectives have been achieved.
"Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation. We're not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What @POTUS would prefer is a deal... that is, so far, not the route that Iran has chosen," Rubio told a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.
On Project Freedom, Rubio said the goal was to rescue almost 23,000 civilians from 87 different countries who were trapped inside the Persian Gulf and left for dead by the Iranian regime.
"This is not an offensive operation. This is a defensive operation, and what that means is very simple: there’s no shooting unless we're shot at first. We’re not attacking them, but if they're attacking us or they’re attacking a ship, you need to respond to that," Rubio said.
