Body of Dalit girl dug out from field, 3 arrested

The decomposed body of a Dalit girl missing for five days was today found from a field at Jalalpur Kalan village in the district here, the police said, adding that three men were arrested for killing her and burying the body in the field.

She was attacked with sharp weapons, the police said.

According to the Sadar police, the girl, aged 16 of 17, had gone missing from her house at New Shivpuri Colony, near the railway station, five days ago.

Her brother told the police that on the night of June 15, his sister left home with two persons -- Shubham and Deepak -- both residents of Jind, who approached her saying a 'jagran' (religious gathering) was being organised at nearby Dumrakhan Kalan village.
 

When she did not come back home, the family members asked Shubham about her whereabouts. Shubham told them that the girl had left Dumrakhan Kalan after the 'jagran'. The villagers, however, informed the family that no such programme was held in the village on June 15.

A police complaint was lodged and the police started interrogating Shubham.

During the questioning, the police said, Shubham confessed that he, along with three of his accomplices, killed the girl and buried her body in a field at Jalalpur Kalan village on the night of June 15.

Two of the three accomplices -- Shivam and Deepak -- were subsequently arrested, while another accused, Mangal, was on the run, the police said, adding that all the accused were residents of Jogendra Nagar in the district.

The arrested trio led the police to the field where the body of the Dalit girl was buried. The decomposed body was dug out in the presence of Deputy Superintendent of Police Kaptan Singh and sent for a post-mortem to PGI, Rohtak.

A case has been lodged against the four accused under the relevant sections of the IPC as well as the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and POCSO Act, the police said, adding that they were trying to ascertain the motive behind the crime.