Jamshedpur, Nov. 20: In a brutal incident, a nine-year-old Sabar girl was gang-raped and murdered by two youths near Uppar Bandh village under Mosabani police station area in Ghatshila sub-division in the district in the wee hours of Friday.
The victim, a member of the Sabar community, a primitive tribe on the verge of extinction, was lured by the miscreants with a packet of snacks and was raped repeatedly. Later, the victim was strangled to death. The police have arrested both the rapists identified as Chhotka Gope (24) and Dhano Tuddu (24), residents of adjoining Tilbani village and Uppar Bandh village respectively.
According to sources, the victim, a resident of Uppar Bandh, had gone to a fair along with her sister in the same village on the occasion of Karma Puja. When the two sisters were returning home late in the night, both Chhotka and Dhano lured the victim away with nefarious intentions.
Sources further informed that the two accused asked the victim to force her sister go home alone, while the youths who took her to an isolated place. They raped the girl one after another and strangled her to death. The body was then dumped in the same area.
Sub-divisional police officer, Mosabani, Ajit Kumar Vimal confirmed the rape and murder of the nine-year-old girl. He said, “Yes the incident took place with the girl who belonged to Sabar community. She was strangulated to death by two youths after being gang-raped. Soon after the incident the police launched search operation for the killers and nabbed them.”
Vimal said that as the victim’s younger sister had identified Dhano Tuddu, one of the accused and a resident of the same village. Later, the police nabbed the two from near their respective houses.
As far as growing incidents of rape are concerned, East Singhbhum district is ranked third in the State. The startling facts were revealed recently in an affidavit by the State police before the Jharkhand High Court while responding to a notice issued against them seeking the total number of rape cases that took place in the State in the current year. According to the police records, a total of 917 cases of rape have been reported since January to August in Jharkhand.
Even cases relating to cheating minor girls in the guise of love and marriage have gone up in the recent times. Experts blame it on inactive police administration, which is said to be indifferent in curbing criminal activities and influx of criminals from outside.
“The situation has changed rapidly in our city. Women are not feeling safe now. Steps need to be taken to ensure their protection. I am of the opinion that failure of police in arresting rape accused and people’s reluctance to file FIR regarding rape is some of the factors behind rising molestation cases,” said Alpna Chakravarty, an activist working for NGO.