Minor arrested for molesting, murdering 6-yr-old

The shocking incident occurred on Wednesday evening when the girl was alone in the house after returning from an Anganwadi centre. According to the police, the girl was left alone in the evenings, since both her parents work. She has two older brothers, who would come in late from school. 

Noticing that the girl was alone in the house, Saravanan (name changed), a teenager from the neighbourhood and a school dropout, entered the house and molested her. When the girl shouted for help, he strangled her to death.  He then returned to his own house and returned with kerosene. 

After burying her under a pile of clothes, he poured kerosene over the bundle and set it on fire. He later ran out for help.  The neighbours then informed the police and rushed to the spot to douse the flames and recovered the body, which was sent for post-mortem. 

The police began investigation. Cops already suspected that the girl might have been murdered and the post-mortem report confirmed the fact as she only had 30 per cent burns.  

Meanwhile, Saravanan went missing and police launched a hunt for him. He was arrested in the wee hours of Thursday. He later confessed to the crime, saying he murdered her to silence her as she had started screaming for help. Following the confession, he was arrested.