Hazaribagh double murder: Showroom worker held for killing siblings after rape bid
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
The Jharkhand Police on Wednesday arrested Sanjit Paswan, a vehicle showroom employee, for the murder of a 14-year-old girl and her three-year-old brother in Hazaribagh district, with officials stating that the accused killed the children after a failed sexual assault attempt on the girl. The bodies were recovered from a cremation ground and a nearby well in Sindoor village under the Korra police station area.
How the crime unfolded
According to officials, Paswan confessed during questioning that on 27 May he lured the siblings onto his scooter on the pretext of a ride and the promise of buying a mobile phone. He then took them to an isolated cremation ground in Sindoor village.
At the spot, he allegedly attempted to sexually assault the teenage girl. When she resisted and raised an alarm, he killed her, police said. Fearing the crime would be exposed, he then strangled her younger brother and dumped both bodies in a nearby well after stuffing them into a sack.
How the case was cracked
The children's father, Mohammed Aamir, a toy seller, had filed a missing persons complaint at the Katkamdag police station. Given the gravity of the case, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted under Additional SP (Operations) Amit Kumar.
The girl's body was recovered from the cremation ground on 31 May. The following day, her brother's body was located in a well roughly 500 metres away with the assistance of forensic teams and dog squads. The post-mortem was conducted under the supervision of a medical board.
The CCTV breakthrough
CCTV footage emerged as a pivotal lead, capturing a man ferrying the two siblings on a scooter. Combining technical and scientific evidence, investigators identified the man as Sanjit Paswan, employed at a local vehicle showroom.
The SIT apprehended him on Wednesday as he was reportedly attempting to flee the district. Police have also recovered the scooter used in the crime and the sack in which the toddler's body was concealed.
What the police said
Officials said the double murder has been fully solved on the strength of scientific and technical evidence. Further legal proceedings under relevant sections, including those of the POCSO Act, are expected to follow as the chargesheet is prepared.
The case has triggered fresh concern over the safety of minors in semi-urban pockets of Jharkhand, with community members in Hazaribagh calling for swift prosecution.