Lucknow: After she was molested by a neighbour, a 15-year-old girl in Banda district of Uttar Pradesh succumbed to burn injuries on Wednesday. Following the molestation attempt, the minor girl locked herself in a room and set herself ablaze even as members of her family were discussing how to deal with the 20-year-old neighbour who she accused of molesting her. Following the incident, locals nabbed the culprit and handed him over to the police. A complaint was then lodged by the girl's brother-in-law who alleged that the accused attempted to molest her on the day of her demise. In his complaint, the victim's brother-in-law claimed that she had stepped out of the house around 6 pm to buy groceries when she was allegedly taken to a secluded place by the accused.
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He then attempted to molest her but she managed to escape from his clutches, said the complainant. Locals also gathered at the spot on hearing the girl's screams. Station house officer (SHO) of the Kotwali Dehat police station told Indian Express that local residents, including the girl's sister, arrived at the spot and caught hold of the accused neighbour. As they were deciding on the steps to be taken against the boy, the victim locked herself in a room and set herself on fire around 9.30 pm. Her family members noticed smoke coming out of the room and ran to her rescue. Since the door was bolted from the inside, by the time everyone broke the doors down, the girl had already succumbed to burn injuries.
To be noted that SHO Patel further told the national daily that the accused was arrested on the same night and charged with sections 306 and 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Another senior police official said that the case is being investigated from all angles.
