Kashmir rape case: 9-year-old allegedly gang-raped by brother and friends in Baramulla, eyes gouged; strangled by stepmother

In yet another spine-chilling and heinous act, a nine-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped by her brother and his friends in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district. According to the police, the girl was gang-raped by her stepbrother and was later was brutally murdered and strangled by a stepmother. Police have arrested five people in the connection with the case, including her stepmother and step-brother.

According to PTI reports, the victim had gone missing on August 23 following which her father and locals of Uri, registered a complaint with the police Baramulla Superintendent of Police Imtiaz Hussain Mir said.

Her body was found decomposed on Sunday in a nearby forest area, he said, adding it appeared to be a case of murder. The minor's eyes were gouged out. He added a special investigation team (SIT) headed by SDPO Uri was constituted to investigate the murder.

"The SIT interrogated the suspects and during sustained questioning of the stepmother of the deceased, a bone-chilling and horrible account of murder and rape of the nine-year-old child came to light," Mir said.

It was found that the stepmother had been harbouring a long-standing grudge against her husband's second wife and her children, he said.

"During questioning, she revealed that her husband would mostly spend time with his second wife and the girl was dearest to him," he said. The SSP also said that the minor was gang-raped by the accused step-brother and his friends in presence of her stepmother. They all took turns to rape her and thereafter her stepmother strangulated her, Mir said.

Detailing the extent of brutality, the SSP said, "While the stepmother strangulated her, the step-brother hit her head with an axe. Another accused gouged out her eyes with a sharp knife and then sprinkled acid on her body parts. Physical condition and preliminary forensic analysis of the body substantiated all these facts".

All the material and weapons of offence, including the axe and the knife, have been recovered at the instance of the accused. All the accused have been arrested, the police officer said.

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