The Hindu : Minor assaulted, killed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 18, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Minor assaulted, killed

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JAN. 17. A five-year-old girl was allegedly criminally assaulted and then smothered to death by her neighbour in his house at Ambedkar Nagar in South Delhi on Friday evening. The police have arrested the accused.

According to the police, the girl, daughter of a shoe-seller living at Madangir in Ambedkar Nagar, had gone outside the house to play around 6 p.m. However, she did not return till late in the evening following which her father informed the police around 9-15 p.m. The police, along with area residents, launched a search for the girl.

After about half-an-hour, one of the neighbours, Kuljeet, told the police that he had seen the girl in his house sometime ago. The police searched his house and found the body of the girl hidden beneath a sofa.

The police also detained Rajiv (24), Kuljeet's brother, for questioning as he was found to be alone in the house. He then confessed to having killed the girl.

Rajiv told the police that the girl knew him and often used to visit their house. On Friday evening, as the girl went out to play, he spotted her and lured her to his house on the pretext of giving her sweets. He allegedly criminally assaulted her and then smothered her with a cushion and hid the body beneath the sofa.

It also came to light that Rajiv, who is unemployed, and Kuljeet were living alone in the house for the past few days as their parents had gone to attend a wedding ceremony in Chandigarh.

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