Minor raped, killed in Ranchi; crime spikes in Jharkhand

A minor girl was allegedly raped and killed on the outskirts of Ranchi early on Wednesday amid a general surge in crime in Jharkhand this year.

The 13-year-old was allegedly raped in her home at Ratu in Ranchi - while her family was out for the Chhath festival - and later strangulated to death, the police said.

"We have sent the body for post-mortem examination which will confirm whether or not she was raped," a police official told the IANS.

The condition of the body does suggest rape and it's possible that the rapist killed the victim, according to the police sources.

Angry villagers blocked Ranchi-Lohardagga road and burnt tyres, demanding the immediate arrest of the killer.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, one person was shot dead at Ranchi's Booty roundabout.

Jharkhand has witnessed a spike in the crime graph this year as compared to the previous year. The official figures show that five cases of bank robbery and seven cases of bank dacoity have been reported this year. In 2014 only one bank robbery was reported though the Lok Sabha and assembly elections were held that year.

Until August this year, 905 rape cases and 1,261 kidnappings have been reported as against 792 and 996 cases respectively in the same period in 2014.