KAPILVASTU, Nov 19: The family of a teenage girl in Mankhoriya village of Mayadevi Rural Municipality in Kapilvastu district has claimed that the girl was murdered after a gang rape on November 14.
Abdul Gaffar, father of 17-year-old Sabnam Khatun said that his daughter was hanged to death after a gang rape by the local Sarbajit Dhobi aka Pitnu, Ram Kumar Dhobi, 25, Rajmit Pasi and Shiblal Dhobi.
According to Gaffar, she was found hanging on a tree at around 4 AM on November 15 after she went missing in the previous night. He said that Khatun was called by Rajmit Pasi at night on November 14. “We searched for her the whole night, however, we found her hanging on a mango tree in the village the next morning,” he said.
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Gaffar claimed that Pintu must have committed the crime to avenge an incident that took place four months ago when he discovered that Pintu and his daughter were in love and he asked them not to continue their relationship. “I shouted at him and told him not to meet her again. He must have avenged that particular incident,” he claimed.
According to Gaffar, Khatun’s hand was on the branch of the tree while she was still hanging on the tree. “She was wearing her slippers, there was no mud in her legs, and the rope around her neck was not tied properly. So we suspect a murder,” he added.
He filed a first information report against four of the accused at the police station.
The family of Pintu, one of the accused, however, dismissed the accusations claiming that it was a suicide. According to them, she committed suicide after her [Sabnam’s] family did not accept their relationship.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Nawaraj Adhikari said that it is too early to conclude whether it is a murder or a suicide as the case is under investigation. “We are waiting for the post mortem report which will give us a clear picture,” Adhikari added.
