11-year-old rape victim hangs self due to trauma, accused held

BAREILLY: A 26-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl, who later died by suicide due to trauma, police said on Wednesday. The post-mortem report confirmed sexual assault and multiple injuries on the minor's body, including bite marks and nail scratches. The cause of death was found to be hanging, they said. According to ASP (South) Anshika Verma, the incident came to light on 27 April, when the girl, a Class 8 student, was found hanging at her home in Deoria Abdullaganj village under the Mirganj police station area. Initially, the family reported the death as suicide and was reluctant to pursue police action."The autopsy report changed the course of the investigation. It confirmed sexual assault and noted severe physical trauma. The cause of death was confirmed as hanging," Verma said. A breakthrough in the case came from the statement of the victim’s younger sister, who told police that the accused, Zeeshan (26), a resident of the same village, frequently loitered near the minor’s school and allegedly gave her small sums of money to keep his interactions with her a secret, she said. Police said that on the day of the incident, the accused allegedly lured the minor and assaulted her. Distressed by the incident, the child later took her own life while her mother was away, police said. "Based on technical surveillance, CCTV footage, and statements from the family, we established Zeeshan's involvement. He was arrested near the Mirganj weekly market on Tuesday," they said.(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)