Satara cops have also arrested 14-year-old's mother, who instead of going to the police, helped him to dispose of eight-yr-old victim's body by dumping it in a pond in the village
The under-construction structure where the rape and murder took place
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When he forced himself on her, she cried for help, but her screams went unheard, and when she threatened to complain to her father, he strangulated her — this was the anguishing incident that rocked a small Satara village last week, when a 14-year-old raped and murdered his own cousin, and then, with the help of his mother, disposed of her body.
The incident happened on March 21 in Ner village, Pusegaon. The Pusegaon police have arrested the mother-son duo and registered offences against them under various sections of the IPC and POCSO Act. The boy has been sent to the juvenile home in Satara, while his mother, a widow, is in police custody.
A forensic team under supervision of Dr Harish Phatak, professor and head of the department, KEM Hospital visited Satara and collected samples to conduct a test of the bite marks on the deceased to link the accused to the crime. The report is expected to be ready soon.
The pond where the boy and his mother dumped the girl's body
The discovery
Superintendent of Police Sandip Patil told mid-day, "The victim, a Std II student, went missing on March 21 afternoon when no one was home."
At 6.30 pm, her parents returned home, and on not finding her there, searched for her all over the village, said the police, adding that the mother-son duo even joined them in their search. Later, the family lodged a missing person complaint.
Patil said her body was found on March 23, when locals went to the village pond to fetch water and found her floating in the water. The police sent it to the local zilla parishad hospital, where a panel of three doctors conducted an autopsy. Confirming rape and strangulation, the doctors said the deceased had bite marks on her cheeks and other parts of the body.
Probe begins
Soon after the post-mortem, the police started their investigation. "Our informers in the village told us that a few boys aged between 12 and 16 were addicted to watching pornographic videos on mobile phones during afternoons. We picked up all the boys from the village, including the accused," said Patil.
Cops' needle of suspicion went to the accused when he told them that a friend of his was with the victim. "But when we questioned the other boy, his details didn't match with those given by the accused," said Patil. Their suspicion became stronger when the girl's father told the police that the 14-year-old had molested his daughter a few months ago. Villagers had let him off with a warning then.
Investigators interrogated the teenager again and he confessed to the rape and murder.
The fateful afternoon
The accused told the police that on March 21, around 2 pm, he and a few other boys had watched porn videos, and on his way home, he'd spotted the girl. He lured her to come with him, promising to give her money if she did. He took her to an under-construction building and forced himself on her. She screamed and he threatened her. But when she started crying inconsolably, he ran away from there.
He narrated the incident to his mother and went back to the building, where the victim was still crying. He sexually assaulted her, and when she said she would complain to her father, he strangled her to death.
A habitual offender
He again returned home and told his mother what he'd done. The two found out that the girl's family had started searching for her, and they joined them. Around 11.30 pm on March 22, the two returned to the spot, took her body to the pond and dumped it there.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Rajalakshmi Shivankar said the accused had been arrested a few months ago for stealing Rs 1,000 from a paan shop in the village. Later, the juvenile justice board had released him with a warning.
The police have now started random checking of mobile phones in the village to ensure that no one is downloading pornographic videos or sending any hate messages after the incident to create a law and order situation.
Also read: Minor girl raped, beaten and molested by her father finally pulls the plugs on his crime
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