Five to undergo DNA testing in Kovai minor’s rape and murder case

The minor victim, who was playing in front of her house, suddenly went missing in March last year. The next day on March 25, the body of the girl wrapped in a T-shirt was found dumped in a narrow lane near her house.

After investigations, the Coimbatore rural police arrested Santhosh Kumar (34) who reportedly confessed to have raped and killed the girl studying in Class I by smothering her.

He then hid the body of the girl in his house for the night before dumping it in the neighbourhood. The court, on hearing the case, awarded death penalty to the convict.

However, the mother of the victim moved a petition seeking re-investigation of her death as the forensic report had suggested more than one person to have involved in the rape. 

The Pocso court judge, J Radhika, who took up her plea, subsequently ordered re-investigation by the police into the case. G Anandanayagi, the Inspector of Anti Child Trafficking Unit (ACTU), Coimbatore district was appointed the investigating officer in the case.

“About five persons, who hail from the same neighbourhood, were interrogated on suspicion.

We have decided to collect their blood samples for a DNA test to nail the culprits down,” a police official privy to the investigation said.