Rape and murder of 6-yr-old in Kerala
The people of Churakkulam village near Vandiperiyar of Idukki district mourned as the funeral was held for a six-year-old, the daughter of tea plantation labourers. Amongst the scores who mourned her loss was 22-year-old Arjun, a local Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) worker and the girl’s neighbour. Those who were at the burial clearly recall Arjun crying loudly, telling those gathered that he loved the little girl whom he used to play with. But no one knew then, that this young man, who pretended to be a mourner – would be arrested for the heinous crime of allegedly sexually assaulting the child, and then hanging her to death.The police say Arjun, a popular face at various citizen campaigns, was sexually abusing the child since she was three years old. The final incident happened on June 30. Initially, it was assumed that the girl was strangled by mistake while playing. She was alone at home when her parents went to work early in the morning at a plantation in Churakkulam. Her elder brother reached home at 3 pm and discovered her body. Later, the police arrived and sent the body for post-mortem to Idukki Medical College, which found evidence of the sexual assault. Subsequently, people in the neighborhood were questioned.
According to the police, Arjun gave them a statement that he hadn't seen the girl for two days. He then went on to help the relatives of the girl conduct her funeral, and even brought tarpaulin to create a shed where food could be served for those visiting the family. However, his statement to the police was apparently false, as a relative told the investigators that the girl was with Arjun earlier on that day. Police say that they have more evidence to prove the case against Arjun including forensic one.