Rohan Umak
Manipur girl rape murder: A seven-year-old internally displaced (IPD) girl aged 7 was allegedly raped and killed in Imphal East district of Manipur on Monday, less than 24 hours after she was reported missing. The police said they have arrested the accused in connection with the incident, and the court has remanded him to police custody for further interrogation and probe.
As per police, the victim hailed from Moreh and was residing at a relief camp in Imphal East. She went missing on Sunday evening, and her family lodged a missing person complaint at around 7 pm. The police subsequently launched a search operation.
CCTV footage help identify the suspect
The police further said that teams from the Imphal East and Imphal West districts were constituted to trace the girl, under the supervision of senior police officials. The cops sifted through the CCTV footage from the nearby areas, which helped identify a suspect. The suspect, identified as Laishram Lanngamba (28) was detained late Sunday night.
During sustained interrogation, he confessed to abducting, violating and killing the girl. He further revealed that he disposed of the body under a bridge in the Singjamei area.
Manipur girl rape murder: Body sent for post-mortem
Acting on the information, the police recovered the body in the early hours of Monday, and sent it to the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences for post-mortem, Meanwhile, the accused was booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Under tight security, he was subsequently produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Imphal East, who remanded him to five days of police custody until April 10.
Accused refuses to cooperate with investigation
As per police, custodial interrogation was necessary to establish the sequence of events and examine the role of other persons in the crime. Senior police officials said that the accused was not cooperating with the investigation.
Meanwhile, the relief camp’s residents staged a protest outside Irilbung Police Station on Monday morning, demanding the harshest punishment for the accused. As the protests spiralled out of control, the security personnel used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Manipur Child Wing calls on victim’s family
In the aftermath of the incident, officials from the Manipur Commission for Protection of Child Rights visited the victim’s family at the relief camp. Thereafter, the members of the Child Welfare Committee too met them to assess the situation and extend support. The police said a probe is underway to establish the complete sequence of event and examine the case from all aspects.
Shubh Laabh