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SPO arrested for Kathua minor’s rape, murder case

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 2/11/2018 8:49:21 AM

JAMMU, Feb 10: A Special Police Officer (SPO) Deepak Khujaria has been arrested by the Crime branch of the Jammu and Kashmir Police for his alleged involvement in kidnapping, raping and brutal killing of an eight-year-old nomad girl in Kathua district last month, police said today.
According to a report, Khajuria, 28, was also among those appointed to trace her when she went missing.
The girl's body was recovered from the Rassana forest on January 17, a week after she went missing while grazing horses. The issue had repeatedly rocked the state Assembly with opposition parties raising questions and demanding action against the culprits.
On January 23, the Mehbooba Mufti government had ordered a probe in the kidnapping and killing of the girl and handed over the case to the Crime Branch of the state police.
“We have arrested SPO Deepak Khajuria for his involvement in the case of kidnapping and killing of the minor girl,” Additional Director General of Crime Branch, Alok Puri told reporters.
"We are taking services of the forensic science department to investigate the alleged rape," he said. With the arrest of the SPO, the number of arrests in the case has gone up to two.
Earlier a special investigation team (SIT), constituted by the state police, had arrested a 15-year-old boy and claimed the accused had strangulated the victim after she resisted his rape attempt. The government had also ordered suspension of a Station House Officer (SHO) on January 20. The government also ordered a magisterial probe in the case.
In the meanwhile, sources in the police said the medical report confirmed that the girl was raped before murder, hence rape charges were added in the FIR in this case.
Earlier the family of girl had questioned the police for rounding up only one minor suspect, who according to police had confessed to having killed the girl. The family’s major contention was how a minor alone could have carried the body to a hiding place after committing the murder.
Opposition members had alleged that the police was trying to save others who had helped the minor accused and was trying to hush up the matter.