Silchar: Two men accused of raping and murdering a 15-year-old girl were remanded in six days’ police custody on Tuesday.Hailakandi police also formed an SIT, headed by the additional superintendent of police (crime), for a scientific and time-bound investigation. Preliminary post-mortem findings confirmed evidence of sexual assault, police said.The investigating officer sought 10 days’ custody of the two accused, but the court granted six days for interrogation.The two men and a juvenile accused were produced in court on Monday night and remanded to judicial custody after no lawyer appeared for them. The juvenile was subsequently sent to an observation home in Silchar under the Juvenile Justice Act.Police produced more than 20 seized exhibits, including blood samples, bloodstained clothes, a sharp-edged weapon and other material recovered from the crime scene. The court returned the exhibits to investigators for forensic examination.The girl, a Class IX student, was found in a pool of blood at her home early on Aug 1 after her mother returned from a neighbour’s post-funeral ritual. She was alone at home.A case was registered under Sections 65(1) and 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.Forensic teams collected samples from the scene. An inquest was conducted in the presence of an executive magistrate, while a panel of doctors performed the videographed autopsy.Police questioned five suspects, arrested three and released two. Investigators are probing the motive, planning and possible involvement of others.The killing triggered protests across south Hailakandi, with organisations demanding a speedy investigation, a fast-track trial and exemplary punishment.
