INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
accused in the gang-rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl have seized the attention of millions as rage courses through India at the
horror of what the little girl suffered
The crime was planned by a former revenue officer who wanted to drive out her nomadic community of Bakerwals out of the Rassana area of
Kathua.On January 10, the little girl in a purple dress, was grazing her horses near her one-room home when one of the accused, a
19-year-old, called her into the forest pretending to help look for a missing horse
The horse returned without her.The police say the man dragged her to a small village temple and drugged her
For three days, the man and two others gang-raped her repeatedly, keeping her sedated and without food
Before she was strangled and hit twice with a heavy rock for good measure, one of the men stopped the killer to rape her one last time.The
girl's body was found in the forests on January 17.Investigations led the police to the 19-year-old school dropout who had often seen the
girl grazing horses, and to his uncle Sanji Ram, who was in charge of the temple where police found forensic evidence.The teen had first
claimed to be 15 but medical tests confirm he is not underage
He has confessed, say the police, and his DNA matches the hair found on the child's body.Sanji Ram is accused No
The former government official allegedly planned the depraved crime and even kept side a huge amount of money for bribes
He was arrested after the teen's confession, forensic tests and based on the interrogation of various suspects.The man who allegedly wanted
to rape the girl one more time before she was killed is Special Police Officer Deepak Khajuria, according to the police chargesheet.He was
named in the teen's statement to the police
Call data records also established his presence at the place where she was kept locked in for days.The fourth accused is another Special
Police Officer, Surinder Kumar
Witnesses saw him at the crime scene
Call data records also prove his presence.The teen named his friend Parvesh Kumar, who is the fifth accused
He was one of the men who repeatedly raped the child.Sanji Ram's son Vishal Jangotra was arrested on the basis of forensic tests
Vishal, studying in Meerut, travelled to Kathua after a phone-call from the teen who said he could "satisfy his lust", the police
chargesheet says.Two more accused are policemen who knew of the horrific crime and tried their best to cover it up for a huge bribe.The
chargesheet says sub-inspector Anand Dutta and head constable Tilak Raj didn't collect vital evidence and washed the girl's dress to help
