Patna: A 16-year-old boy was detained on Thursday for allegedly raping and murdering a 13-year-old girl in Purnia district on Wednesday evening.According to the police, the girl’s body was found hanging in a bamboo grove near her home in the village, with clear signs of strangulation and physical injuries. Police claimed the accused had called the girl to meet him near her house, where he allegedly raped and strangled her before hanging the body from a bamboo bush to make it appear like a suicide. The boy is being interrogated.The girl’s father said he had asked her to make tea but she said she was going to the washroom and would return in 10 minutes. When she did not come back even after 30 minutes, her father went out to look for her, but could not find her.“When I checked her mobile phone, I saw she had got a call from a boy. I went to his house with other villagers, caught him, and brought him back. Under pressure, he provided information about my daughter,” the girl’s father said.“Around 5pm, we reached the spot he had mentioned and found her hanging from a bamboo bush. There were deep marks on her neck and injuries on her body. By the time we returned to the village, the accused had fled along with his family,” he alleged.Police said preliminary investigation and statements of the girl’s family revealed that both she and the accused used to study in the same school and often spoke over phone. However, her family claimed they were unaware of any relationship between them.“As per preliminary investigation, she was strangled to death and then hanged to make it look like suicide. All aspects of the case are being probed. Police have detained the accused. The body was handed over to the family after post-mortem examination. Further investigation is underway,” SDPO Jitendra Pandey said.
