Bhubaneswar: The key elements of the probe in the sensational murder case of the five-year-old minor girl in Nayagarh revealed by SIT chief Arun Bothra is sure to shake the conscience of the state and the nation. He said the accused youth killed the minor girl when she resisted his sexual advances, and then eventually raped her.
But there's more to it than meets the eye. Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Bothra, the head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the ghastly crime, stated that possession of smartphone and easy access to child pornography was a major reason which fuelled sexual assault against the minor girl.
The SIT chief said that prime accused Saroj Sethi of Jadupur, who strangled the child to death before raping her, was addicted to child pornography.
Sharing details of the investigation, Bothra said, "Saroj Sethi was addicted to child pornography and had saved many such porn videos on his mobile phone. He had saved them in a separate folder and locked them with a password. On July 13, a day before the incident happened, Saroj had watched porn videos throughout the night. And the next day when the girl came to his house, this is what fuelled his sexual desperation."
Because the minor girl was close to Sethi's sister and used to frequently visit their house to have Jamun, on July 14 too, the victim went to their house to have some from their backyard, not knowing that his mother and sister had gone out for work. Taking advantage of the situation, Sethi attempted to rape the minor girl and when she resisted the attempt, he strangulated her to death. Later, Saroj tried to have intercourse with the dead body and in the process, he discharged his semen on her frock, said Arun Bothra at the presser, adding that the investigation is based on scientific evidence.
READ | Killer Had Raped The Minor Girl After Strangulating Her: Arun Bothra
The IPS officer also said that the arrested accused has confessed to the crime and as per his statements that he had thrown the leggings of the minor girl in the village pond, more shreds of evidence are likely to come out once the pond gets dried up, the process of which is underway. Bothra further stated that so far there are no eyewitnesses to the crime, and the investigating team has sought the custodial remand of Sethi to question him further.
SIT FINDINGS SCRIPTED?
In reaction to Arun Bothra's presser, deceased minor girl's father said there are no facts in the agency's probe and it is all scripted. "Two other girls, who were playing with my daughter, had said one Kanhu had abducted my child and had taken her to Babuli Nayak. Why is there no investigation on this?" questioned her father.
Accused Saroj's family has maintained that Bothra had offered him Rs 5 lakh to admit to the crime, and had further promised to show him as a minor by reducing his age by one year to reduce the punishment under the Juvenile Justice Act. A complaint has also been lodged against Bothra at the Nayagarh Sadar Police Station, wherein he has been accused of torturing and assaulting Saroj Sethi arrested by the SIT.