13-year-old girl gang-raped and killed; body found on Haridwar highway

Haridwar: A 13-year-old girl, who went missing three days ago, was found dead on a highway here. Her mother claimed that she was raped and then murdered by a local BJP worker and his accomplice, police said on Wednesday.

The body was found on Tuesday morning along the highway in Bahadrabad area near the Patanjali Research Centre, they added.

The main accused, Adityaraj Saini, was a member of the local BJP OBC Morcha. The party had expelled him from its primary membership on Tuesday, according to a letter from state BJP general secretary Aditya Kothari.

The girl’s mother claimed that Adityaraj, the husband of a village headwoman, was having a relationship with her daughter, who suddenly disappeared on Sunday evening.

When she called her on her mobile phone, Adityaraj answered the phone and said that the girl was with him. After that, the phone was switched off, the victim’s mother said in her complaint.

After the teenager returned home the next morning, the woman went to the man’s house, where the accused accomplice Amit Saini also lives, but could not find her.

When she told him that she would take the matter to the police, Adityaraj urged her not to do so and threatened to kill her if she did.

However, the girl’s mother contacted the police on Monday and filed a missing person report.

After the body was found on Tuesday, the woman claimed that her daughter was raped and killed by Adityaraj and Amit.

Based on their complaint, the two were booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for gang rape and murder, SP Pramendra Dobhal said.

Dobhal said the matter was serious and five police teams had been formed to investigate.

Adityaraj had campaigned for a seat in the party in the last parliamentary elections.