Three Dalit girls from Uttar Pradesh's Deoria district, who had gone missing since Friday, were found dead in a field on Saturday.
Three Dalit girls from Uttar Pradesh's Deoria district, who had gone missing since Friday, were found dead in a field on Saturday. The families of the three girls suspect it to be a case of gang-rape and murder.
Two of the three girls were minors and belonged to the same village, Katiyari.
According to the families of the girls - aged 18, 13 and nine - the three had gone to the fields to collect fodder around noon on Friday but did not return.
The next day their bodies were discovered in the fields by a local and had injury marks on the neck and head.
The police claim the case to be a fallout of a one-sided love affair. The main accused, Sonu, from the same village, was in love with the eldest girl who had rejected his advances, prompting him to take this step. Manoj Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Deoria said "Sonu had made up his mind to kill the girl. They killed the other 2 girls to remove evidence. This is not a case of rape".
The police are waiting for the post-mortem report before calling it a rape and murder case.
"The bodies bear head injury which seems to have caused the death. The case has been filed and we will look whether there was any sexual offence," said Manoj Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Deoria.
Of the 4 accused, 2 have been nabbed by the police while 2 are still absconding.