Tension prevailed in Bihar’s Darbhanga town after a six-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered, hours after she went missing while playing near her home on Saturday evening. Police have arrested the main accused, but the incident triggered violent protests in the area on Sunday.
According to officials, six people have been detained for creating disturbances, and a case has been registered against 30 named and 200 unidentified persons for rioting and vandalism.
The incident took place in the Patwa Pokhar area under the University Police Station area. The child had gone to play near a pond with two friends when a 22-year-old neighbour allegedly tried to grab them. While two of the girls managed to escape, the accused reportedly forced the six-year-old to a secluded spot, where he raped and killed her before leaving the body near a wall close to the pond, police said.
“When the girl did not return home, her family began searching for her late at night. They reached the pond area after hearing stray dogs barking and found the child’s body there,” said a police officer.
A police team led by Senior Superintendent of Police Jagannath Reddy reached the spot, recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem examination. The accused was later identified through CCTV footage and the statements of the two girls who were with the victim. He was arrested from his residence, where police also found bloodstains on his clothes.
Local residents said the accused worked as an auto-rickshaw driver and had been married three times, but all his wives had left him. He was reportedly living with his parents.
As news of the incident spread on Sunday morning, locals gathered near Bela Chowk, blocked the road and demanded that the accused be handed over to the public. The protest soon turned violent, with demonstrators pelting stones at police personnel and damaging vehicles. Some vehicles were also set on fire.
District Magistrate Kaushal Kumar and SSP Reddy later reached the area and appealed to the crowd to remain calm.
Darbhanga Sadar DSP Rajiv Kumar said six protesters had been arrested so far.
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