Independent legislator Prakash Kumar presented a memorandum to the DGP seeking steps to arrest those behind the death of the girl.
Published Mar 06, 2024 | 1:47 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 06, 2024 | 4:55 PM
School girl's body found in drain. (iStock)
The body of a nine-year-old girl child, who went missing a few days ago, was retrieved from a drain near her house in Muthialpet block in Puducherry, police said. Her hands and legs were found tied with ropes.
As soon as the girl went missing on the evening of 2 March, her parents filed a complaint with the police after looking for her at various places. She was a Class 5 student in a government school in Muthialpet.
Police launched an extensive search to trace the girl, sources said. Her parents, along with residents of Solai Nagar area in Muthialpet, staged a road-roko on Tuesday demanding police action to find the girl.
Police suspected the girl could have been kidnapped and killed. There are also speculations that she might have been gang raped.
On receipt of information that a sack was floating in a drain near the girl’s house, police rushed to the spot and retrieved it and found the body of the missing girl inside, with hands and feet bound.
Police sources said the body was taken to the government hospital at Kadirkamam near Puducherry, and a postmortem would be conducted at JIPMER on Wednesday, 6 March.
Residents, along with the girl’s parents, staged a protest at Muthialpet junction on Tuesday, 5 March, urging the police to intensify the investigation and bring the culprits to book. Police were deployed to ensure law and order along with Central Industrial Security Force personnel.
Police sources said two suspects had been taken into custody. “We are interrogating the suspects, and will get a clear picture during interrogation,” the sources added.
The locals suspect that the increasing usage of cannabis (weed or ganja) among minors and teenagers might have led to the possible rape of the nine-year-old child. They suspect six youth of the heinous crime.
Independent legislator Prakash Kumar presented a memorandum to the Director General of Police seeking steps to arrest those behind the death of the girl. He also wanted CCTV cameras to be installed in various places in Muthialpet.
The school where the girl was studying declared a holiday on Wednesday to mourn the death of the student, school sources said.
The hashtag #JusticeForAarthi has been trending on X. Netizens have been rallying for the capture of the assailants, sharing pictures of six young men. They are calling for severe action in the hope to ensure that such heinous incidents never occur again, with some even demanding a public execution.
Strength to the people of Pondicherry ! This should be the start to ending all the bad elements that infests that beautiful state ! #JusticeForAarthi https://t.co/E60yzMM5Mh
— Prashanth Rangaswamy (@itisprashanth) March 6, 2024
(With PTI inputs)
