25-year-old had tried to rape the girl after luring her to his house; when she resisted he strangled her to death and then burnt her body in Palghar
The youth took the body to Palghar before disposing of it
Almost two months after a minor's missing person complaint was registered, the Samta Nagar police have finally cracked the case with the recovery of a secondary SIM card from the prime suspect. The Kandivli minor’s 25-year-old neighbour has been arrested for attempting to first rape and then strangulating her before burning her body.
The 14-year-old victim was alone at home on October 1 when the accused neighbour allegedly called her inside his house and tried to force himself upon her. When the girl resisted, he strangulated her. He also allegedly hit the girl's head with a Milton water bottle before strangulating her.
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The victim lived with her parents in the Poisar area of Kandivli East where the accused had been trying to lure her since months, said police.
After the girl died, the accused, who works in a shoe laundry business, stuffed her body inside a large bag, and carried it to Talasari, in neighbouring Palghar district. "He drove a motorcycle to a secluded place where he removed the petrol from his bike, poured it on the girl’s body and set it on fire. However, only the upper part of her body got burnt and the lower remained intact," said an officer at Samata Nagar police station where the girl's mother had registered a missing person's complaint on October 2.
The investigating team had recorded statements of several suspects including the accused but he never revealed his alternate mobile number to them which he had carried to Talasari on October 1.
Accused gives in after a month-and-a-half
Meanwhile, the Palghar police had recovered the girl’s body but her identity could not be established since her face was burnt beyond recognition. A message with her photograph was circulated among nearby police stations and police commissionerates. The body was preserved in a mortuary.
At the Samata Nagar police station, the victim’s mother had expressed her strong suspicion regarding the neighbour whom the cops called in again and interrogated. "During his interrogation, we learnt that he has another mobile number. We then checked its Call Data Records (CDRs) and location on October 1 which revealed Talasari. When we asked him why he had been there, he began to avoid our questions," said an officer privy to the investigation.
The accused finally gave in on November 16 when he confessed to the crime. A team from Samata Nagar police contacted their counterparts in Talasari who confirmed having found a body.
After a DNA analysis of the body and matching it with that of her parents, the girl’s mortal remains were handed over to the family. The accused, a native of Jaunpur district in Uttar Pradesh, has been booked under sections of IPC and POCSO Act.
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