GAYA: Residents of Panchayati Akhada locality in the town blocked the Gaya-Patna national highway-83 for nearly two hours on Sunday to protest alleged rape and murder of a four-year-old girl on Saturday.
The locals were demanding death penalty for the accused.
City DSP Rajkumar Sah said the accused, a rickshaw puller, is a distant relative of the victim’s family.
“As locals thrashed the accused, he is undergoing treatment at a hospital.
He will be sent to jail after being discharged from the hospital.
Trial in the case will start within one week.
SHO of Women’s police station has been made investigating officer of the case,” he said.
Locals said when the family members did not find the girl at home on Saturday afternoon, they started looking for her.
“People caught the accused from the vicinity of the railway station.
When he failed to provide any information about the girl, they thrashed him.
The girl’s body was later found on the rail track,” police sources said.
Gaya SSP Aditya Kumar said the post-mortem report was awaited.
“Police have started an investigation into the case,” he added.
( The victim’s identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)