Coimbatore rape-murder case: Girl's body handed over to father, say Police

The body of the 10-year-old girl, who was recently sexually assaulted and murdered near Sulur in this district, was handed over to the father, officials said on Monday.

The body of the 10-year-old girl, who was recently sexually assaulted and murdered near Sulur in this district, was handed over to the father, officials said on Monday. They were responding to the allegation of the victim's mother that her daughter's body was cremated without her consent.

Inspector General (West Zone) Ramya Bharathi told PTI, as per police record, the mother and father were supposedly residing at the same address.

''It is obvious that they have some domestic dispute, possibly escalated due to the tragic incident,'' Bharathi added.

Speaking to reporters, the mother claimed she had initially refused to sign the hospital release papers until justice was ensured.

However, she said, the body was handed over to her husband's family after obtaining his signature post-autopsy. She alleged that the family took the body through the back door of the ESI Hospital in an ambulance without letting her see her daughter one last time, and cremated it at their native place in Salem.

The case involves the abduction, sexual assault, and murder of a 10-year-old minor girl. The child's body was discovered on the shores of the Kannampalayam lake in Sulur with visible physical injuries on May 22. On May 23, the district police arrested two individuals in connection with the crime. One of the primary suspects has been identified as 33-year-old K Karthi, who was a neighbour of the family. The second suspect has been identified as R Mohan.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Vijay convened a high-level review meeting at the state Secretariat with the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, and the Advocate General pertaining to the case on Monday.

He directed law enforcement to fast-track all sexual crime investigations and instructed state prosecutors to ensure swift, deterrent punishments through expedited trials, according to a press release.