Jharkhand rape case: Minor girl set on fire in Chatra district, 15 arrested

Fifteen people, including the main accused, have been arrested in connection with the alleged rape and killing of a minor girl by setting her on fire in Chatra district of Jharkhand, police said on Saturday.

The victim was declared "brought dead" by doctors when she was rushed to a nearby hospital on Friday, police said.

"15 people, including the main accused, Dhanu Bhuiyan, have been arrested in connection with the case," said IG Sambhu Thakur, who is camping at the site and monitoring the investigation.

Following the rape incident and then informed about the same, the accused was imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 by the panchayat, besides being ordered to do 100 sit-ups.

Humiliated and angry, the accused had refused to obey the panchayat's directive and instead, went into the house of the victim with his henchmen. He thrashed the girl's parents, before setting her on fire, in front of them.

Asked if the girl was gang-raped, Thakur said it would be confirmed only after post-mortem.