Janjivan Bureau / Lucknow : Child sexual abuse has been in focus after the gang-rape and murder of the 8-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district hit the headlines. Now a 7-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered by a 19-year-old man late on Monday during a wedding in Uttar Pradesh’s Etah.
The accused Sonu, who uses one name, took the girl away when her family members were busy during a wedding ceremony to an under-construction house and raped her and later killed her to avoid being identified, police said.
Pankaj Mishra, the in charge of Kotwali Nagar police station of Etah, said he was arrested from the spot of the crime.
“The 7-year-old girl was attending a wedding function in front of Galla Mandi of Etah city last night (Monday night) but was found missing at about 1am on Tuesday,” Mishra said.
“A search was conducted by the family members attending the function and she was found dead in an under-construction house nearby,” he said.
Sonu’s father provides tents for wedding functions and has a shop in Kotwali Nagar area, he added.
“A case has been registered under section 302 (murder) and 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code. And as the victim is a minor, the provision of POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012) is also applicable against the accused, who would now be presented before a court in Etah,” the officer said.
The body of the girl has been sent for a post-mortem examination.
