Jalgaon (Maharashtra): The Maharashtra police reportedly suspect that a 13-year-old girl, among the four minor siblings who were hacked to death in Jalgaon district, was gang-raped before being murdered.
Earlier yesterday, four children were found lying in a pool of blood inside a house built at a farm near Raver of Jalgaon district.
The deceased were aged 13, 11, eight, and six.
According to reports, the police suspect that the 13-year-old girl was first gang-raped, and in a bid to cover-up the matter, the girl and her three siblings were murdered by the accused.
The victim's elder brother, who had left for Madhya Pradesh with his parents, had reportedly asked four of his friends to keep an eye on his siblings. The preliminary police investigation has reportedly revealed that the accused used this opportunity to commit the crime.
The accused reportedly went to the victims' house in the middle of the night under the influence of alcohol and raped the minor girl. When the other three siblings woke up, the accused allegedly killed all four siblings, including the 13-year-old, by stabbing them in the neck.
Read: Four siblings brutally murdered in Maharashtra's Jalgaon
Earlier yesterday, the Raver police said that the four children were hacked to death with an axe, and that deep wounds were found on their necks.
After the incident came to light, the police questioned the elder brother of the deceased. He told police the names of friends he had told to keep an eye on the house, following which police arrested the four for questioning.
Meanwhile, the suspects are reportedly giving misleading information to the police. The police on their part, have not yet officially released the details of the incident as some evidence is still being collected.
The police have reportedly seized the axe used by the culprits, the suspects' blood-stained clothes and two bottles of liquor found at the spot.
Victim possibly tortured
Meanwhile, the autopsy on the victim's body prima facie revealed that she had been tortured. Medical sources estimate that the injuries were caused as the victim was resisting the accused's actions. The viscera of the victim have been retained, and based on its report, it can be confirmed whether the victim was tortured.
The massacre near Raver brought back memories of the massacre at Bhadli in Jalgaon district in 2017. Four members of a family were found murdered at home by unidentified persons.
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Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in Jalgaon today
Meanwhile, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh is visiting Jalgaon district today. During the visit, he will pay a condolence visit to the family of the victims, the district administration said.
Emergency assistance of Rs 2 lakh to victims' family
Following the incident, Maharashtra Minister Gulabrao Patil, who represents Jalgaon Rural in the state Assembly, had directed to immediately appoint an SIT headed by Special Inspector General of Police Prataprao Dighavkar to investigate into the incident.
Patil, who visited the family of the victims on Friday evening, announced immediate assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the family. The investigation into the incident is going in the right direction, Patil said.
