Uttar Pradesh police arrested six men on Thursday for allegedly raping and murdering two Dalit sisters in a village in Lakhimpur Kheri district, ANI reported.
The accused have been identified as Chotu, Junaid, Sohail, Hafizul, Karimuddin and Arif, Lakhimpur Police Superintendent Sanjeev Suman told a news conference. He added that Junaid was arrested after a shootout in which he was shot in the leg.
The two sisters, aged 15 and 17, were hanging from a tree on Wednesday.
The family of the sisters alleged that three persons from a nearby village had abducted them. They protested at the Nighasen crossing a few kilometres from the village.
The police have filed a first information report under Sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 452 (house trespass after preparation for assault) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, Aaj Tak reported.
Suman said that Chotu, the girls’ neighbour, had introduced other accused men to them. Sohail and Junaid then lured the girls to a farm and raped them, ANI reported.
“After the girls forced the accused to marry them, Sohail, Hafizul and Junaid strangulated and killed them,” he said. “They then called Karimuddin and Arif and hanged girls to eliminate proof.”
Inspector General Lucknow Range Laxmi Singh said no injuries were found on the girls’ bodies. “Other things to be ascertained after post-mortem,” she said. “We’ll try to expedite the probe.”
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said that the proceedings would take place through a fast-track court, ANI reported. “Government will take such an action that the souls of their coming generations will also shiver,” he declared.
The girls’ father, however, demanded that the culprits be hanged.