Suspect in Hathras murder turns out to be a minor

A CBI team probing the Hathras gang-rape case found the school marksheet of an accused which indicates that he is a minor. The accused has been put up at the Aligarh jail along with the other three accused.

Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh): In a major development, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probing the Hathras case in which a Dalit girl was allegedly gang-raped and later died of injuries, has found that one of the four accused is a minor according to his school records.

According to reports, the CBI team had visited the accused's home, where they found his school marksheet.

The marksheet of the accused who is now found to be a minor, points towards possible lapses by the Uttar Pradesh police which initially investigated the case.

The accused's age was registered as 18 in the FIR filed by the police.

The four accused have been lodged at the Aligarh jail

According to the mother of the minor accused, the CBI team had visited their residence and taken the marksheet from her. She also claimed that her son is a minor.

"They also took some of my elder son's clothes along with the marksheet. He is a minor," said the mother.

Meanwhile, the CBI is also questioning suspended police officials from the Chandpa police station with respect to the possible lapse in registering the accused's correct age.

Read:'Parents should sensitize boys to control rape'

Earlier yesterday, the CBI team questioned the suspended cops - Sadabad circle officer Ram Shabd, station house officer DK Verma, and other officials.

The four accused in the Hathras alleged gang rape case have been lodged at the Aligarh jail. A CBI team questioned the four accused in the Hathras case for over eight hours on Monday.

Meanwhile, a CBI team also recorded statements of doctors from the JN Medical College.

Read:CBI detectives visit hospital to probe Hathras murder

On September 14, a 19-year-old Dalit girl was allegedly gang-raped and strangulated in a field in Hathras. She suffered severe injuries to her spine. Two weeks later, she passed away at a hospital in Delhi and her death triggered protests and outrage across the country after she was cremated in the middle of the night.

The Yogi Adityanath government then handed over the case to the CBI.

(With inputs from agencies)