(Trigger warning: This article contains mentions and specific details of sexual assault, rape, and violence against a minor.)
Rajkot: A six-year-old girl is receiving hospital treatment in Rajkot after being brutally assaulted and raped, with an iron rod allegedly inserted into her private parts, in a village under the Atkot police station jurisdiction.
Police have detained the 35-year-old accused, Ramsingh, a farmhand, who has reportedly confessed to the heinous crime. The victim is currently stable and is being treated at a government children's hospital in Rajkot.
Here's what preliminary investigation reveals
The assault took place on December 4 after the accused allegedly kidnapped the girl while her parents were working on a nearby farm. According to reports, he then took her to an isolated spot, gagged, and assaulted her, before allegedly inserting a one-foot iron rod into her private parts.
The girl's parents found her bleeding profusely and immediately rushed her to a hospital, which then notified the police. Due to the severity of the case, authorities on priority formed ten teams to investigate. Their efforts involved analysing CCTV footage and examining telecom data to identify mobile phones active in the crime area.
A list of 140 suspects was initially compiled, with alibis for all being verified. Police eventually narrowed the list to ten individuals, whose photographs were shown to the victim with the assistance of a child counsellor, female police officers, and doctors.
The victim identified one person, who was subsequently detained and questioned. "During questioning, the accused confessed to the crime," said Vijaysinh Gurjar, Superintendent of Police (SP), Rajkot Rural. According to Gurjar, the accused attempted to sexually assault the girl near a water tank around 11:00 am December 4, and injured her with the iron rod when he "failed" and "flew into rage."
Background of the accused
The detained individual, Ramsingh, is a 35-year-old father of three, including a 12-year-old girl and two boys. Preliminary investigations revealed that Ramsingh, a native of Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh, had been employed as a farmhand in the Rajkot rural area for the past two years.
The victim's family, from Dahod, had migrated to the village to work as agricultural labourers. Based on the complaint filed by the victim's father, the police have registered an offence under BNS section 65 (2) and POCSO Act sections 5 (I), 5 (M), and 6 (1).
