Silchar: A Sribhumi court on Thursday sent a 19-year-old accused of rape and murder of an 8-year-old to judicial custody.Police from Sribhumi Sadar police station produced the accused in court and sought four days’ custody for further interrogation. The court rejected the plea and remanded him in judicial custody.The case invokes BNS Sections 140(1) — kidnapping or abduction for murder or ransom, Section 65(2) — rape of a girl under 12, and Section 103(1) — murder, along with relevant provisions of the Pocso Act.The incident came to light on Wednesday after the 8-year-old girl went missing from her home around 10 am. After a search, her family found her body in a forested area near a hillock close to their house. Family members and residents later caught the suspect and handed him over to the police.The case sparked outrage, with residents blocking roads and alleging a delay in police action despite an outpost being barely 300 metres from the crime scene. The blockade was lifted after administrative assurances and the suspension of the outpost officer-in charge pending inquiry.
