Two girls’ bodies found hanging from tree in Kanpur

Lucknow : The bodies of two girls - a 16-year-old and a 14-year-old - were found hanging - an apparent case of death by suicide after being forced to drink liquor and sexually assaulted - from a tree in a village in the Kotwali area of Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur district late on Wednesday.

According to their families, the girls went to the fields late last evening to relieve themselves. Relatives went searching after they did not return, and found their bodies hanging from a nearby tree. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem.

The families have told the police the girls were made to drink alcohol and raped by Raju, 18, and Sanjay, 19, the son and nephew of a local contractor, Ramroop Nishad.

The accused also made a video of the assault and used it to blackmail the girls, their families told the police, alleging the hurt, humiliation, and embarrassment had led them to take their lives.

The police have recovered videos and photographs from the mobile phones of the accused, and these are being examined, officials said.

All three accused - understood to be distant relatives of the girls, who are themselves related - have been arrested and face charges of gang rape and abetment of suicide, as well as those under the POCSO Act.

The two girls and their families worked at a brick kiln run by Nishad. They were found less than 400 metres from that kiln, news agency PTI quoted Harish Chander, Additional Police Commissioner (Law and Order). “Last night, information regarding bodies of two minor girls was received.

The bodies have been recovered and sent for post-mortem, and three accused - who are distant relatives of the deceased - have been arrested,” he said.

“It has been said the girls were beaten and, based on some videos, were sexually assaulted,” Mr Chander said. Forensic experts have swept the site where the bodies were found, the senior cop added.