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Demonstrators in India have taken to the streets after a man was arrested for raping and murdering an eight-year-old girl then cutting her into 10 pieces.
Kamlesh Rajput, 21, was charged with rape and murder on Sunday after police investigating the girl’s disappearance found bloodstains by Rajput’s house in Lopda near the city of Udaipur in India’s north west.
Officers discovered plastic bags containing the girl’s remains in a patch of wasteland near the farm of the victim’s family, The Mirror reported.
Mr Rajput was taken into custody and confessed to kidnapping the girl from the farm, taking her to his family home and raping her.
The man admitted he strangled her and chopped her body apart to dispose of her remains.
Protesters from Lopda village and surrounding towns hit the streets to demand a death sentence for Mr Rajput and called on authorities to provide greater protections for women and girls.
They also urged authorities to compensate the girl’s family £50,000 ($93,000) for their loss.
“When [the girl] did not return home on March 29, her family members lodged a missing complaint at the Mavli police station.” Udaipur police superintendent Vikas Sharma told Times of India.
“Since she was a minor girl we lodged an FIR [First Information Report] and started searching for her.
“Our men in plain clothes made a visit near [Rajput’s] house and found blood spots. Hence, on the basis of suspicion he was detained.
“Later, we recovered the chopped body parts of the girl at an isolated place near his house on Saturday evening.
“The accused was questioned and he confessed to have kidnapped, strangulated the girl to death and later chopped off her body parts in several pieces.”
Superintendent Sharma revealed Mr Rajput was a high-school drop out and seemed “unperturbed” by his crime.
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Udaipur police said they are analysing swabs taken from the victim’s remains during post-mortem, but confirmed they already have enough evidence to prove the girl was raped.
Photos circulating on social media show Udaipur police officers with Mr Rajput and his parents who police said were protecting their son. They have also been detained.
