A five-year-old girl child who had gone missing since February 12, was found raped and murdered at Namgo Mismi village in Wakro circle.
The perpetrators of the heinous crime have been identified as tea garden labourers Sanjay Sobor (30) and Jagdish Lohar (25), who abetted Sobor.
Wakro police outpost Officer-in-Charge Thomas Pertin, informed that the young girl went missing from the compound of her family’s house sometime between 9.30-10.30 am on February 12, following which her parents filed an FIR at the Wakro police outpost on the same day.
The police, assisted by local residents, carried out a massive search operation for the child which led to the discovery of her body barely 200-300 yards inside the tea garden area behind the family house on February 17.
The police found the child naked, with her head severed from the body after which the police launched a search for the culprits and arrested Sobor and Lohar on Sunday morning.
The Officer-in-Charge informed that Sobor and Lohar were reportedly in Namgo Mismi village for a funeral.
On February 12, Sobor noticed the young child and lured her away into the dense garden area, where he raped her.When she started crying, Sobor allegedly severed her head with Lohar’s machete (dao).
The police said although Lohar did not rape the child, he abetted Sobor in killing the child by lending his machete and helped him flee from the village.
The two accused were arrested from the Tengapani tea cultivation area.
Post-mortem on the child’s body has been conducted and the body has been handed over to the family, informed the Thomas Pertin. Medical tests and further investigations are on, he added.
Meanwhile, the North East Human Rights Organization (NEHRO) strongly condemned the heinous act and demanded thorough investigation and exemplary punishment for those involved in the rape and murder of the young child.
A similar incident of rape and murder had rocked Namsai, a couple of months back and CM Pema Khandu had ordered swift action.
‘Has Namsai become an easy gateway for the miscreants from Assam for easy and illegal passage affecting the innocent, indigenous, hilly tribal demography ‘ wondered a leader of Namsai based Khamti organization.
They claimed that the accused in the case had entered into the territory of Arunachal without obtaining an inner line permit. “It is a complete failure of the government,” the NEHRO leader said.