6-Year-Old Raped, Murdered In Bihar's Darbhanga, Key Suspect Arrested

Darbhanga: A six-year-old girl was raped and murdered near a pond in Bihar's Darbhanga, late Saturday night, police said. A 22-year-old local resident, identified as Vikas Mahto, has been arrested in the case. Following the heinous crime, massive outrage and violent protests erupted in the area on Sunday.

The unrest spiralled out of control soon after, with the angry protestors setting a vehicle, and a nearby shop on fire, leaving at least six police officers injured. Heavy deployment of police personnel in the area followed.

The incident reportedly took place in the Patwa Pokhar area under the Darbhanga University police station limits.

According to sources, the child went missing in the evening after stepping out of her house to play with a few other children. When she did not return home for a considerable amount of time, her family members and neighbours began searching for her in the vicinity.

During the search, local people noticed stray dogs barking near a deserted spot close to the pond. Upon reaching the location, they found the girl lying unconscious and covered in blood.  

A police team reached the spot promptly, cordoned off the area and sent the body for post-mortem examination. Darbhanga Senior Superintendent of Police Jagannath Reddy visited the site and supervised the investigation.

Police said preliminary investigation revealed that three girls aged between six and seven years were playing near the pond when the accused allegedly tried to catch them. While two of the children managed to escape, the accused allegedly dragged one girl to the desolated spot, where she was raped and murdered. The accused fled from the spot soon after.

The two surviving children reportedly told their families that they recognised the man who had tried to catch them.

Police checked CCTV footage from nearby areas and showed the visuals to the children, who identified Vikas Mahto as the accused. Bloodstains were found on his clothes at the time of arrest, police said, after which he was taken into custody for further questioning. The victim’s family alleged that she was sexually assaulted before being murdered.

The exact sequence of events leading to the gruesome crime would only be ascertained after the post-mortem report is received, police said. 

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