DIBRUGARH, April 10 - Amidst continuous public protest over the alleged rape and murder of a five-year-old girl in Tiloikinar Bongali Gaon under Moran Police Station, police on Sunday night apprehended the murder and rape accused Rajen Mardi (40) from one his acquaintance�s house at Ghooronia, some 20 kms from here.
Rajen Mardi, who was on the run, has been accused of the alleged rape and murder of the minor hailing from his own village, i.e., Tiloikinar Bongali Gaon under Moran Police Station. Case No. (60/18) u/s 366/376/302 IPC was lodged with Moran PS in the morning of April 3, 2018 after the girl was reported missing since April 2.
Altogether, five police squads were pressed into a massive search operation to nab the alleged culprit after spontaneous public anger following recovery of the body of the minor from nearby Tiloi river on April 6. The body, which was dumped inside an empty cement bag, was reportedly found floating in the Tiloi river by the villagers. The Officer Incharge of Moran Police Station Bhaskarjyoti Phukan had to face suspension for alleged unsatisfactory investigation into the case.
Superintendent of Police Gautam Borah said the accused had carried the girl from her house in a bicycle on April 2. �The father of the victim and neighbours had seen him carry the minor in his bicycle. When the girl had not returned until evening, the accused, when quizzed, had said that he had sent her back home. The next day the accused disappeared from the village. Today, he admitted to the crime. However, we are still not sure about the rape. and are in fact waiting for the medical report. We will also invoke the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act,� said the police officer.
Several women�s organisations and others like the All Adivasi Students� Association of Assam (AASAA), Assam Tea Tribes Students� Association (ATTSA) and Gorkha Students� Union (GSU) staged National Highway-37 blockade along with a massive protest in Moran town demanding death penalty for the perpetrator of the crime.
