In Uttar Pradesh’s Auraiya, a 33-year-old man raped and murdered his 14-year-old cousin just hours after she tied a rakhi on him during Raksha Bandhan. Police said the accused, Surjeet, later tried to mislead investigators by staging the scene as a suicide.
The incident occurred on Saturday night after Surjeet, heavily intoxicated, returned to his uncle’s house where the girl lived. He assaulted the sleeping teenager, killed her, and then hanged her body to make it appear like she had taken her own life. The victim’s father, who was asleep in another room, discovered her body the next morning and alerted police.
Officials quickly suspected foul play. “Blood stains and other signs clearly indicated this was not suicide,” said Auraiya SP Abhijeet Shankar. During questioning, Surjeet raised suspicions by aggressively answering questions meant for the grieving family.
A post-mortem confirmed sexual assault, following which Surjeet was arrested. “He confessed to the crime during interrogation,” the SP added.
(Names of minor victim’s family withheld to protect privacy.)
