Jalandhar: Man, accused of raping 11-year-old, beaten to death
In a distressing turn of events, a 39-year-old man was beaten to death in Jalandhar on Sunday afternoon. The man allegedly raped an 11-year-old girl after which the locals lost their cool. The accused, who was identified as Pappu Kumar Rai, was alive when police rescued him. However, he succumbed to injuries on the way to the hospital. Here are more details.
In drunk state, Rai entered victim's house, raped her
Rai, a migrant laborer from Bihar, was drunk when he violated the girl. The victim's parents belonged to Nepal and were at work when the crime happened. On Sunday afternoon, Rai barged into the victim's one-room house and assaulted her. The victim's cries alerted the neighbors who rushed to her help. When they entered the house, they found Rai there.
Seeing girl's condition, mob thrashed Rai; he died
The victim was bleeding profusely when neighbors found her. The locals then caught hold of Rai and started thrashing him. ACP (Central) Harsimrat Singh said, "By the time police reached the spot, a mob had thrashed the man seriously. The man was in a bad state." He added the exact cause of his death would be ascertained after the post-mortem.
Police have filed a case against the deceased
Visuals from the spot showed police officers giving Rai water to drink. He walked with the help of two police personnel. A case under IPC Section 376 (rape) and sections of POCSO Act was filed against the deceased after the girl recorded her statement. Meanwhile, the girl is said to be stable. She has been kept under observation due to excessive bleeding.
Separately, a case has been registered against unknown people
Police are trying to trace Rai's family through his Aadhaar card. Deputy Police Commissioner Gurmeet Singh said a murder case would be registered against the mob only after Rai's relatives record their statements. Meanwhile, a case under IPC Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) was registered against unknown people. Notably, the Child Welfare Committee was given the responsibility of the girl's safety.
