Indian police hunt for men suspected of raping and killing three sisters
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Police in central India have launched a hunt for the men suspected of raping and killing three sisters, aged five to 11. Their deaths are the latest in a series of incidents of sexual violence in the country.
The bodies of the sisters were found in a village well near Nagpur on 14 February after they had gone missing from school, police officer Javed Ahmed told the Associated Press. The village is located about 630 miles from Delhi.
The police’s handling of the case has outraged residents who have blocked a highway that passed through the village to demand justice. The incident came two months after the gang-rape and murder of a student in Delhi shocked the nation.
The young mother of the three girls has demanded the death sentence for the killers. “There is no point in leaving the culprits alive. They should be arrested and hanged in front of people for this heinous crime,” she told reporters.
The woman, a labourer, who lost her husband four years ago, has also been trying to push the police to do more. She has appealed to the chief minister of the state, who has promised compensation.
Senior officers are now monitoring the local investigation and have offered a reward of R50,000 (£600) for anyone who provides information that leads to arrests. But the villagers say the police had initially refused to even register a complaint.
“There were no external injuries on the bodies when fished out of the well. Even the clothes were intact. We did not suspect anything and were waiting for the post-mortem report,” said a senior officer.
The incident took place Lakhni village in the Bhandara district. The grandfather of the girls said the oldest child – the 11-year-old - had gone to fetch her younger sisters from school last Thursday afternoon. He thought they were coming home “but someone took them away”.
“My granddaughters were probably lured away on the promise of chocolates or Kurkure [cheese puffs]. Please find [the perpetrators] and hang them,” he said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments