Lakhimpur Kheri death case: Post-mortem confirms rape, strangulation

The post-mortem report of the two minor Dalit sisters who were found hanging from a tree, has confirmed rape and then strangulation which caused the death.

The report said that the bodies were hanged on the tree after their death.

SP Lakhimpur Kheri Sanjeev Suman said that after the post-mortem and other formalities, the bodies have been handed over to the family. Cremation would take place under security later in the day.

Security has also been beefed up in the district to prevent demonstrations and protests in the area.

The two sisters, who were murdered after being raped, were strangled to death by the accused because they insisted that since they had been violated, the men marry them, police said.

"The men took advantage of the fact that they were friendly with the girls and raped them. As the girls then started saying they would have to marry them, the men got angry and strangled them with their dupattas. They later called two of their friends, who helped them hang the girls so that it looked like a suicide," said Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjeev Suman.

The main accused Chotu had allegedly introduced the girls to three others but was not at the scene of crime. The three, who carried out the crime, and the two, who helped them in a coverup attempt, are from another village close to the girls, he said.

The SP said that one of the men was caught this morning in an encounter with the police, who shot him in the leg. He had been identified on Wednesday, police said.

All six have been booked for murder and rape, besides under the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.