A minor was allegedly held captive, tortured and raped before being killed, the Surat Police said today, weeks after the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua in Jammu region sent shock waves across the nation.
The body of the unidentified girl, believed be between nine and 11 years, was found in Bhestan locality here and had 86 injury marks, they said.
It was spotted lying in bushes near a cricket ground on the morning of April 6 by some passersby, the police said.
The autopsy report said there were 86 injury marks on her body, including the private parts, indicating that she was tortured and raped, Inspector K B Jhala of Pandesara police station said. She was strangulated, the report said.
While the police had earlier said that a body of a girl had been found, details of the case were made public today with Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma holding a press conference.
An FIR has been lodged under sections 302 (murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 376 (rape) of the IPC and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) against unidentified persons, he said.
Ganesh Govekar, a doctor at the City Civil Hospital where the autopsy was conducted, said, "Going by the nature of injuries, they seem to have been caused over a period ranging from one week to a day prior to the recovery of the body, suggesting that the girl, who is between nine to 11 years of age, might have been held captive, tortured and possibly raped."
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