7-year-old allegedly raped and murdered in Maharashtra's Pune, accused hangs self

Incidents of rape of minor girls continue unabated across India with yet another case being reported from Maharashtra on Tuesday. According to reports, a seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered at Pimpri-Chinchwad's Dapodi in Maharashtra. The accused, however, has committed suicide hanging himself from a tree when police tried to track him in connection with the incident.

Speaking to news agency ANI, senior police officer, Smartana Patil said, "We received a call that a body has been brought to the hospital on Tuesday. The girl was declared dead and rape was suspected".

The rape and murder of the minor seem to be the result of a clash between her mother and the accused. The accused, identified as Vijay Yadav (25), reportedly proposed the victim's mother to marry and was refused, according to the police.

Post that, Yadav, on Tuesday committed the crime when the girl was alone in the house. While the victim's mother had gone to work, her sister was in school. At night the girl was found unconscious after her mother returned from work. Though the minor was immediately rushed to the hospital, doctors declared her dead.

RELATED

As per the preliminary investigation, the victim's mother used to work at the same place with the accused and was threatened on Monday, a day before the incident. 

"During the investigation, it was found that a man had threatened the mother of the victim a day before the incident. When we tried to track the accused, we found him hanging in a forest, he allegedly committed suicide," Patil was quoted as saying.

The police have registered a case and an investigation is still underway in the matter.

The ranges of crimes, including sexual harassment cases, against women and children have seen an unusual rise in the last few years. Perhaps something has really changed since December 2012, when shock and terror engulfed the national capital region following the brutal assault of a young woman in New Delhi.

While abductions and kidnappings have increased the most since 2006, the number of rapes has witnessed a sudden jump since 2012. However, reports suggest that only one out of 10 rapes is actually reported in India.