Surat/Gandhinagar, April 16: The Gujarat Police have scanned the data of as many as 8,000 missing girls to identify a nine-year-old girl in Surat whose body was found with 86 injury marks, including on her private parts, Minister Pradeep Singh Jadeja said on Monday.
She is believed to have been kidnapped, tortured and raped before being dumped near a cricket ground in Bhestan area of Surat on April 6. Her autopsy, which went on for several hours, revealed that the girl was raped and tortured for at least eight days.
Minister of State for Home Jadeja told reporters in Gandhinagar: "She was strangled to death and the post mortem indicated that the girl was tortured and raped for at least eight days."
The girl has not been identified and nobody has come forward to claim the body.
He said the Surat Crime Branch was leaving no stone unturned to establish her identity. "The police have scanned details of 8,000 missing girls and it seems she is from outside the state and was dumped here after committing the crime."
Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said there was no sign of struggle at the spot where her body was recovered which indicated the crime was committed elsewhere. "We are zeroing in on missing girls from Odisha and West Bengal, many of whom come here as migrant labourers," Sharma said.
Surat Civil Hospital's Forensic Sciences Laboratory head Ganesh Govekar said: "The girl's body had 86 injury marks including some on her private parts. Samples have been taken for forensic test to ascertain whether she was drugged or not."
Police Inspector B.K. Jhala said the police registered a case of rape and also booked the unidentified accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. A reward of Rs 20,000 has been announced for anyone providing information about the girl or her family.
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Sanctity of Tirupati 'laddu prasadam' restored, unblemished now, says TTD
Tirupati ( Andhra Pradesh) (PTI): Amid concerns among devotees on the quality of ghee used in the famous Tirupati 'laddu prasadam', the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has said sanctity of the sacred sweetmeat has been restored.
In a social media post on Friday night, the TTD, which manages the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple, on the hills of Tirumala said the divinity and purity of Srivari Laddu is unblemished now.
“The divinity and purity of Srivari laddu is unblemished now. TTD is committed to protecting the holiness of Laddu Prasadam to the satisfaction of all the devotees,” the temple board said in the post.
The temple body managing the super-rich shrine on Friday revealed it has come across sub-standard ghee and presence of lard in samples tested for quality, echoing claims first made by Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu two days ago.
With the fingers of accusation being pointed at the previous YSRCP regime over the issue, former CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy described the matter as "diversion politics," and slammed it as a "concocted story."
The Centre has sought a report on the matter from the Andhra Pradesh government and promised suitable action after examining it.
Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi called for an investigation into the allegations.
Citing a lab report on Friday, the TTD stated that there was presence of 'lard' (pig fat) and other impurities in the ghee.
TTD Executive Officer J Shyamala Rao said lab tests have revealed the presence of animal fat and lard in chosen samples and the board was in the process of blacklisting the contractor who supplied 'adulterated' ghee.
