The rapist and murder of a five-year-old girl child and his accomplice were beaten to death by a mob and their bodies were dumped in the market area of Tezu town in Arunachal Pradesh in the morning on Monday.
The child, who had gone missing since February 12, was found raped and murdered at Namgo Mismi village in Wakro Circle on February 17. The perpetrators of the heinous crime were identified as tea garden labourers 30-year-old Sanjay Sobor and 25-year-old Jagdish Lohar, who abetted Sobor.
The two accused, Sabor and Lohar, were arrested by Tezu Police on Sunday and produced them in the court on the same day. The court sent them to police remand. The accused duo was kept in Tezu Police Station lock-up for interrogation.
Sources said, a huge mob including members of different organizations, villagers and relatives of the victim suddenly gathered at around 11.30 am on Monday and attacked the Tezu Police Station. The mob, overpowering the police force at the police station, took away the two accused to the market area by forcibly breaking the lock-up, 50 metre from the police station and beat them to death.
“Quickly after beating the two accused to death, the mob dispersed from the market area. The Superintendent of Police of Lohit district, Isaac Pertin, reached the spot within 30 minutes, but till then the two were already killed,” informed sources, adding, “The SP also found no mob in the area except the two accused lying dead in the traffic point of the area. So far, no one has been picked up by police in connection with the killing of the two,” sources said.
It may be mentioned that Wakro Police Outpost 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.
Thomas Pertin also 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 of 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, a prohibitory order under section 144 CrPC has been clamped in Tezu township by the District Magistrate following the incident apprehending law and order problem.