Thiruvananthapuram: In a case that has shocked Kerala, police in Kulathupuzha in the state’s southern district of Kollam have taken into custody a man suspected to have sexually assaulted and murdered a seven-year-old girl.
The accused has been identified as Rajesh, 27, who is the husband of the child’s maternal sister. The minor girl had gone missing on Wednesday and the accused was taken into custody less than 24 hours after police were informed of the matter.
The girl was a Grade 2 student of the government lower primary school at Eroor, and was reported missing after having left home on way to school.
Investigators got a clue when they were told that some local residents had seen Rajesh accompanying the girl. Police then interrogated him, and local media reported that he had confessed to having sexually abused the girl and strangled her to death.
Her body was found from a rubber plantation in Kulathupuzha on Thursday morning.
The state child rights commission sent notices to the Kollam rural superintendent of police and the district child protection officer in connection with the case, asking them to file a report regarding the incident within 15 days.