India • Tanuja Borkar 11yo, Prachi Borkar 9yo, Ariya Borkar 6yo - accused: unknown - Maharashtra state

Young India girls raped, murdered and dumped in well, police say as manhunt begins

NEW DELHI Police say they have launched a manhunt for men suspected in the rape and killing of three sisters, aged 5 to 11, in the latest case of sexual violence to grip India.

Police officer Javed Ahmed said Thursday that the sisters' bodies were found in a village well in Maharashtra state on Feb. 14 after they had gone missing from school. The area is more than 630 miles south of New Delhi, the capital.

Enraged villagers blocked a national highway passing through the area for several hours Wednesday demanding justice.

"We have some leads and clues and are working on them," Rajendra Singh, Inspector General of Police in the region told the Reuters news agency. "It is difficult to comment right now but we will certainly provide more information."

The fatal gang rape of a young woman in a moving bus in New Delhi on Dec. 16 set off nationwide protests about India's treatment of women. Five men are being tried on rape and murder charges.

CBS News correspondent Holly Williams reported from New Delhi this week that India is having a cultural crisis after the brutal attack in the capital. That crime unleashed a wave of protests over the treatment of women in Indian society.

Thousands of protestors have taken to the streets, angry over what they say is an epidemic of harassment and violence against women.

Garima Shrivastara organized some of the protests. She says that Indian women live with fear every day.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57570458/young-india-girls-raped-murdered-and-dumped-in-well-police-say-as-manhunt-begins/

What's going on in India is outrageous. Now it's young angels 5 to 11 getting raped and murdered. I hope they get justice. This type of thing has to stop. My soul cries for the little angels. William

Rape and Killing of 3 Young Sisters Shocks India
By ASHOK SHARMA Associated Press NEW DELHI February 21, 2013 (AP)

Police were searching villages in western India on Friday for suspects in the rape and killing of three young sisters, as Indians still angry over the fatal gang rape of a woman on a New Delhi bus in December face another heinous sexual attack.

The bodies of the sisters — aged 7, 9 and 11 — were found Feb. 16 in a village well in Bhandara district in Maharashtra after they had gone missing from school two days earlier, said police officer Abhinav Deshmukh. The area is more than 1,000 kilometers (630 miles) south of New Delhi, the capital.

The victims' mother said police did not take the case seriously and did nothing for several days until villagers held protests.

Deshmukh said Friday that 10 teams of 30 investigators were working on the case and that he was confident they would find the killers soon.

Police first dismissed the deaths as accidental, the Press Trust of India news agency reported. The girls' mother accused police of a shoddy investigation and said they did nothing for two days. Enraged villagers forced shops to close, burned tires and blocked a national highway passing in the area for hours earlier this week, demanding justice.
Police eventually registered a case of rape and murder after a post-mortem of the girls found that they had been sexually abused and brutally killed, PTI said.

One police officer has been suspended for not acting promptly, Indian Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel, who represents Bhandara district in Parliament, said Thursday.

Cabinet Minister Manish Tewari called the killings a "very, very heinous assault" and said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was sending 1 million rupees ($18,300) to the girls' family.

The case has horrified Indians two months after they were outraged by the gang rape and killing of a young woman on a moving New Delhi bus.

The gang rape sparked nationwide protests about India's treatment of women and spurred the government to hurry through a new package of laws to protect them.

The gang rape victim and her male friend, who also was badly beaten up in the attack, were dumped naked on the roadside, and the woman died from her injuries two weeks later in a Singapore hospital. Five men are being tried on rape and murder charges in that case, while a sixth, who is underage, is in juvenile court.

A new law enacted by the government has increased the prison sentences for rape from the existing seven to 10 years to a maximum of 20 years. It also provides for the death penalty in extreme cases of rape that result in death or leave the victim in a coma.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/india-police-sisters-aged-11-raped-killed-18554817

7, 9, and 11, all way too young. Just makes me sad and angry. India has been very slow on womens rights. This is the outcome. Three little sisters taken too soon. William

Bhandara: No breakthrough in rape-cum-murder of sisters
PTI : Nagpur, Sat Feb 23 2013, 21:26 hrs

Even a week after three minor sisters were allegedly raped and murdered in East Maharashtra district of Bhandara, culprits remain at large as police are struggling to achieve a breakthrough.

Meanwhile, outrage over the ghastly crime is growing with school children here today taking out a silent march sporting black ribbons to condemn the incident that occurred in Murwadi village in Lakhani taluka of Bhandara district, nearly 70 kms from here.

Women and Child Welfare Minister Varsha Gaikwad today visited the bereaved family at Murwadi village and offered her condolences and also held discussions with senior police officials.

Gaikwad also visited the 14-year-old girl, who was allegedly sexually assaulted by her teacher in a Zilla Parishad school three days ago at Palandur village, at Bhandara civil hospital.

According to the police, three sisters, aged 6, 9 and 11 years, respectively, and missing since February 14, were allegedly raped and murdered by unidentified persons and their bodies found dumped in a farm well on February 16.

Lakhani tehsil police inspector Prakash Munde has since been suspended for alleged dereliction of duty after police initially registered a case of accidental death into the incident.

Police later registered an offence of rape and murder under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code against unidentified persons and stepped up investigations by setting up a number of teams to crack the case.

Postmortem conducted on the bodies in Bhandara on February 17 confirmed the sexual abuse but apparently not the cause of the death of the sisters, police said.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bhandara-no-breakthrough-in-rapecummurder-of-sisters/1078688/

BJP claims Bhandara rape cover-up, to hold rallies
Express news service : Mumbai, Sun Feb 24 2013, 02:16 hrs

The BJP women wing in the state claimed Saturday the administration was using intimidation to hide facts in the rape-murder case of three sisters in Bhandara.

It will organise "mashal morchas" across the state Monday to highlight alleged law-and-order failure and atrocities against women.

State president of the wing Neeta Kelkar said, "We spoke to the mother of the girls, who were brutally raped and killed and their bodies dumped in a well.

"After the girls went missing from school, the mother approached police at 9 pm. Police, however, refused to acknowledge the case till 1.30 am. Had police taken her complaint seriously and started looking for the girls they could have been saved."

Another member of the wing Uma Khapre said, "The administration is trying to bury the issue by offering the family compensation."

The BJP members dismissed the claim of the local administration that a fight between the mother and her mother-in-law exposed the girls to the crime.

"It is an old tactic of the establishment to blame family and indulge in character assassination when women are raped and killed. In this case, all the three girls were minor. The eldest one was 11 years old and the youngest six."

The family told the BJP members the youngest girl had problems walking and had to be taken to school.

That case, how did she go to the distant well away from school alone is the question.

Kelkar said, "The girls had lost their father and were living with mother and grandparents. The mother runs a small flour mill. The family has rejected the Rs 10 lakh compensation offered by the state. They have asked the government to instead invest in deploying police force to nab the accused."

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bjp-claims-bhandara-rape-coverup-to-hold-rallies/1078813/

I hope they catch those responsible for the sake of other little angels. They won't stop, they never do. Jail or death is the answer. William

Three schoolgoing sisters raped, killed in Bhandara - See more
Vivek Deshpande : Nagpur, Wed Feb 20 2013, 04:47 hrs

Autopsies on the bodies of three schoolgoing sisters who were found dead in a farm well over the weekend have shown they were raped and murdered. Police have picked up two suspects who knew the girls.

Eleven-year-old Tanuja Borkar and her sisters Prachi (9) and Priya (6) had gone missing from their village Murmadi in the Lakhni tehsil of Bhandara district on February 14. On February 16, their schoolbags and chappals were found near the well, and their bodies in it.

District superintendent of police Aarti Singh said, "The post mortem report has confirmed they were raped and then murdered." The report was received late on Monday night.

Singh declined to confirm local suspicion that an old enmity that the girls' family had with another family led to the murders. "The girls are survived by their mother and grandparents. The father died a few years ago. Nobody from the girls' family is talking of any old enmity. But we suspect this could be the work of acquaintances," she said.

The two suspects knew the girls, Singh said, but would not elaborate. She said that the owner of the farm which has the well had been interrogated, but "he does not seem to be involved".

The sisters, students of class 5, 4 and 1 respectively, had not returned from school on February 14. "All we know about their movement on the day is that the eldest one had gone to the younger sister's school to call her, saying their mother had called them to eat some hurda (roasted wheat). They were last seen at 1.30 pm," Singh said.

"The schools are in Lakhni town, which is just about half a kilometre from the village," the SP said. She said she had asked doctors for the time of the children's deaths.

Union minister Praful Patel visited the family on Tuesday and demanded that the case be quickly solved. Asked if he wanted a special probe and the death penalty for the murderers, Patel said, "If need be, the probe should be given to the state CID or an SIT. The culprits should be given death punishment."

On Sunday, angry local people had blocked the highway passing by the village, protesting the police's failure to save the girls

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/three-schoolgoing-sisters-raped-killed-in-bhandara/1076819/0

I added this. The only article I saw the names. I have not found any pictures yet. India had a major problem of rape more than our country. Just recently 3, 4 and 5 year old girls were raped in seperate cases. Maybe they should castrate all offenders. Raping babies is just out rageous. If your planning a trip to India and your are a woman or with a girl child please cancel. Rape is becoming wide spread and worse daily. ANY female should restrain from traveling to India right now. William

Bhandara rape-murder: Govt turns down Oppn demand for CBI probe
PTI : New Delhi, Fri Mar 01 2013, 17:19 hrs
The government on Friday turned down Opposition's demand in Rajya Sabha for a CBI probe into rape and murder of three Dalit minor girls, all below 11 years, in Maharashtra's Bhandara district, saying Centre does not intervene in state affairs.

"This is a very serious issue and concerns the jurisdiction of Maharashtra government," Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said, adding the Centre did not intervene in state matters "be a Congress government or an Opposition-ruled government."

Shinde was making a statement in the Rajya Sabha, where members, outraged over the incident, demanded that the Centre should ask for a CBI probe into the ghastly act.

He said teams have been formed to pursue different lines of investigation, which is going on, and Maharashtra police was carrying out the probe to track the offenders.

"I am deeply shocked at the despicable, ghastly and brutal manner in which three minor girls from the same family were brutally raped and murdered and thrown into an abandoned well near Murwadi village, Lakhani police station, Bhandara district of Maharashtra," Shinde said.

As members accused the Maharashtra government of inaction, Shinde said in-charge of the police station Prakash Mude was suspended on February 19 as he "did not deal with the complainant promptly and professionally."

Shinde said, "Collective conscience of all members of the House would be equally revolted to know about the horrendous incident."

He said the Centre would convey the sentiments of the members to the state including the anguish over the problems caused to the complainant.

He said police have already registered an FIR adding, after an inquest by Taluka Magistrate a post-mortem was conducted by a team of five doctors and "it appears that all three deceased girls were subjected to sexual abuse and murdered before throwing them into well."

Earlier, members expressed anguish and shock over the incident which occurred barely two months after the Delhi gangrape and said Maharashtra police had failed to nab the culprits.

Prakash Javadekar (BJP) demanded a CBI probe into the incident saying the Centre can order a CBI probe directly and not wait for the order of the state government.

"There is no law and order in Maharashtra as over 10 such incidents have taken place in last one month," he said.

Smriti Irani (BJP) said it was deplorable that the mother and grandmother of the victims had to wait till 1.30 am to get the complaint filed in the police station and whatever little action followed was a result of public outcry and media reports.

She said the Home Minister's statement was silent on many issues and sought to know why the police was so inept in Bhandara.

"Is mere suspension of a police inspector enough? In the same area, after this incident a teacher sexually assaulted a student. In Sangli, the home district of Maharashtra Home Minister, a girl was gangraped," she said.

She demanded immediate appointment of the chairperson of the State Commission for Women saying, "The Maharashtra chief minister has not been able to name the chairperson of the State Women Commission for two years. How many women will face rape and how many children will die that Mahrashtra government will wake up?"

Maya Singh (BJP) stressed that the government should take up the matter seriously.

Ajay Sancheti (BJP) said it was a serious matter that the only action Maharashtra police took was to suspend a policeman.

Veer Singh (BSP) said the unfortunate minor girls could have been saved, had the police swung into action on February 14 when the complaint was lodged.

Hussain Dalwai (Cong) said the government should suspend the SP of the district as well instead of taking action against lower level officials only. A CBI probe should be conducted, he said.

Hanumantha Rao (Cong) said capital punishment must be awarded to perpetrators of such crime to prevent any recurrence.

K D Singh (Trinamool) said it was a gruesome incident and needed immediate attention.

Vimla Kashyap Sood (BJP) also sought a CBI probe into it.

Kumar Deepak Dash (AGP) stressed the need for checking recurrence of such incidents.

The bodies of three minors girls, all below 11 years, missing since February 14 were found in a well at Murwadi village in Bhandara district in Nagpur on February 16.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bhandara-rapemurder-govt-turns-down-oppn-demand-for-cbi-probe/1081796/0

Bhandara case: Forensics rule out rape of 3 minor sisters
Vivek Deshpande : Nagpur, Sat Mar 09 2013, 09:01 hrs
First, doctors who did autopsies on them said the three minor sisters, who were found in a well in Bhandara, Maharashtra, on February 16, were raped and murdered.

Then, two forensic tests indicated they were not raped. Now, two "independent and most reputed" experts from Mumbai and Delhi have also ruled out sexual assault, sources told The Indian Express.

The experts have also said the girls died between afternoon and evening on February 14 and not on February 16 as claimed by the doctors, who are now facing questions.

The National Commission for Women has asked them why they made a "hasty" declaration of "rape" before consulting a forensic expert, the sources said.

The commission has also recommended to the police to form a panel of forensic experts to look into the case.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that the sisters often walked to eat at Apple Restaurant near where their bodies were found, about two km from their Murmadi village.

"The girls' mother has confirmed this. She said there are a few playthings there also and they would play with them. An autorickshaw driver has also confirmed that he had taken the eldest of the sisters from the place to her village. The restaurant staff said the girls would come on their own," a senior police officer said.

"Because the focus was on rape theory, we scouted and investigated only men till now. We can now also look for female suspects. It could even be just an accident but we are still working on murder clues."

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bhandara-case-forensics-rule-out-rape-of-3-minor-sisters/1085418/

Rape or not someone killed these little angels. I hope they get justice. I did read that India is trying to get some new laws passed to increase sentences for rape and violence against women. I hope this goes thru. India is the second most country behind the US in rapes. But 25% of those are done to minors in India. That's just outrageous. William

Maharashtra sisters rape: No headway in Bhandara rape-murder case PTI : Nagpur, Fri Feb 22 2013, 10:02 hrs

There has been no headway in the gruesome case of rape and murder of three minor sisters in Murwadi village in neighbouring Bhandara even though their mother alleged their grandmother may be behind the killings.

Madhuri Borkar, a widow, told local police that she suspected her mother-in-law to be behind the abduction and killings. According to police, the three sisters Tanuja (6), Prachi (9) and Priya Jaipal Borkar (11) went missing from their home since February 14 following which the family lodged a complaint the next day. Their bodies were found in a well on February 16 and police initially registered a case of accidental death. However, postmortem on February 17 at district headquarters in Bhandara revealed sexual abuse and brutal killing, offences under relevant sections of the IPC for rape and murder were registered against the yet to be identified culprits. Police inspector Prakash Munde was placed under suspension for dereliction of duty.

Additional DGP (Law and Order) Javed Ahmad, accompanied by Special Inspector General
(Nagpur Range) Rajender Singh, visited Murwadi village today and issued directions to the
police to speed up probe in the case.

Local leaders Nana Patole and Narendra Bhondekar have demanded a high level probe into the gruesome incident. In Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed concern over the incident and announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh to their family. Earlier in the day, the Centre sought from the

Maharashtra government all details of the gruesome incident
and submit a report.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/maharashtra-sisters-rape-no-headway-in-bhandara-rapemurder-case/1078057/