18-year-old gang-raped and killed by minors in Ratlam:Victim attending wedding strangled to death after assault, accused arrested

An 18-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped and murdered by four juveniles in Ratlam district. The accused, all aged between 15 and 17 years, reportedly strangled the victim using her Dupatta after the assault. The incident took place in the Sarwan police station area, where the girl had gone to attend a wedding in her village. Body found near wedding venue According to police, the girl’s body was found about 500 meters away from the marriage venue. A dupatta was tied tightly around her neck with a knot, indicating strangulation. The victim’s father had initially suspected rape and murder, which was later confirmed in the postmortem report. Abducted while returning from wedding Family members said the girl had gone to attend a relative’s wedding on Wednesday night around 10 PM. At around 3 AM, she stepped out with her younger sister. During this time, a 17-year-old accused allegedly grabbed her hand and forcibly took her away. Assault by multiple accused The accused allegedly raped the girl. Soon after, three other juveniles from the same village, aged between 15 and 17, reached the spot. On seeing them, the first accused fled. The other three then overpowered the victim. One of them assaulted her while the others held her down. Murder to destroy evidence Fearing being caught, the accused strangled the girl with her dupatta after the assault. They then dumped her body around 200 meters away from the house and fled the scene. Sister alerted family The victim’s younger sister managed to escape and informed family members at the wedding venue. A search was launched immediately. The body was discovered around 4 AM. Police reached the spot, conducted preliminary procedures, and sent the body for postmortem. Arrests and legal action According to Ratlam ASP Vivek Kumar Lal, the suspects were taken into custody and questioned, during which they confessed to the crime. The juveniles were arrested under Sections 64, 70(1), 87, and 61(2). The court has sent the accused to a juvenile reform home. Postmortem confirms assault and murder The postmortem report confirmed that the girl was raped and then murdered.