Officials demand arrest of in-laws, hubby for murdering minor in Namakkal district

While the girl’s brother and father were arrested on Monday, her mother, husband and in-laws were spared. “But this is a clear case of child marriage and a death due to it. We have asked the police to book the mother, husband and his parents for performing the marriage when the girl was just 16-years-old,” a Childline representative said. He said that the victim had called Childline in their helpline number 1098 on December 14. 

“She called from her mother-in-law’s mobile number. We will get the recording of the call and hand it over to the police, as she had mentioned the harassment she has undergone. This will be in addition to the statement the girl gave us. Action can be taken against the accused only based on these proofs as the victim is not alive to give a statement in person,” the representative said.

The Coimbatore City Police have quizzed more than 70 persons including 13 migrant labourers in connection with the rape and murder of an 85-yearold woman in her house at Gandhipuram Extension, in the city, on Monday. They include persons staying in the nearby mansions and their friends and youth and men working in the nearby shops and eateries. Senior police officers said that the scene of crime led to suspicion that the accused could have been under the influence of drugs or in an inebriated condition. 

The police also suspect that the persons knew that she was alone. Though they suspect that it may be a first-time offender (based on the modus operandi), the police are also quizzing ex-convicts who had committed such crimes. “Two men were caught based on CCTV footage recorded in a commercial establishment close to the the street. We questioned them and came to know that they were innocent, a police officer said and expressed confidence that the accused would be nabbed soon.