Youth arrested for the rape and murder of minor girl

Kolhapur, Feb 22 (UNI) A 24-year-old youth was today arrested in connection with the rape and murder of a minor girl in Shiye village of Karvir taluka in this district on February 14.

Police had earlier on February 19, arrested a farmer, Rajendra Girave, in the same case. The youth, to be arrested today, has been identified as Bajirao Hindurao Lokhande.

District superintendent of police Sukhavindar Singh, while speaking to reporters here this evening, claimed that Lokhande had confessed to the crime.

Mr Singh said that Lokhande, upon interrogation, had confessed that he and Girave (45) had consumed alcohol in a room on the latter's farm on February 14. They sighted a girl, an eighth standard student, who was returning home from school.

Upon Girave's directions, Lokhande called the girl to the room and both of them raped her. When the girl began crying for help, the duo murdered her and abandoned her body in the field, Mr Singh said.

The rape and murder had left the Shiye villagers shocked and they had observed a ''bandh'' and torched the sugarcane field belonging to Girave on Monday last. Girave had been arrested by the police on February 19.

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