4-Month-Old Raped and Killed in Basement; Indore Bar Body Vows to Get Accused 'Hanged in One Month'

Indore: There seems to be no end to India’s rape shame, with each case more chilling that the other and leading to a louder chorus for tougher action.

The latest case has been reported from Madhya Pradesh’s Indore where a four-month-old infant was raped and killed allegedly by a 21-year-old man in Rajwada area.

The shocker came to light on Friday after the blood-soaked body of the baby was recovered from the basement of a building, following which the infant was taken to state-run MY Hospital. The girl bore injury marks on her private parts and head.

A report in Times of India said policemen who conducted preliminary examination of the infant’s body and the crime were “nearly moved to tears".

The report added that Sub-Inspector Trolik Singh Varkade of Sarafa police station was suspended for “failing to inform seniors of the heinous crime in his area".

Sources told News18 on Saturday that the postmortem confirmed rape.

A CCTV footage shows the accused, said to be a relative of the family, carrying the girl on his shoulder at around 4.45 am on Friday.

"The body of the infant was recovered from the basement of a commercial building in Rajwada area. The accused had kidnapped her early on Friday morning when she was asleep with her parents outside the Rajwada Fort. The accused was sleeping close to the family," said HC Mishra, deputy inspector-general of police, Indore.

The accused and the infant's parents knew each other and were in the business of selling balloons, Mishra said.

"The CCTV images show that he took the girl to the basement of the building, some 50 metres away from where the family was sleeping, and her body was recovered in the afternoon," the police officer said.

"The infant had an injury on her head. The accused probably threw her on the ground," Mishra said.

Expressing solidarity with the victim’s family, the Indore Bar Association has decided not to represent the accused in court. Speaking to News18, the association’s president Dinesh Pandey added that the infant’s family would be offered free legal service to get the accused “hanged in one month".

Taking to Twitter after the shocking crime came to light, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said he was “shaken to the core".

Senior Congress leader and former CM Digvijaya Singh tweeted that it was the "height of barbarity".

(With inputs from PTI)