An eight-year-old girl was found dead in Thoothukudi’s Sathankulam on Wednesday, 15 July.
Two 19-year-old youths, Mutheeswaran and Nandeeswaran, accused of murdering the girl and abetment to murder respectively have been arrested by the local police.
A case has been registered against the two under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Relatives of the child protested outside the Tirunelveli Government Hospital where the post-mortem was held, demanding a probe into the matter.
Initial investigations reveal that the child was not sexually abused.
The minor had reportedly gone to her neighbour Mutheeswaran’s house to watch television. He flew into a fit of rage and strangled the girl, said officials. She was then allegedly forced inside a plastic drum where she died.
His friend Nandeeswaran then helped him drop the body in a canal, according to an eyewitness, after which the police were intimated.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)