Vandiperiyar rape and murder case: Relative of acquitted man attacks child’s kin

The Kerala Police have reported that a family member of a man, who was recently acquitted in a Vandiperiyar rape and murder case, allegedly assaulted two relatives of the deceased child. Last Saturday, the minor's granddad and father reportedly suffered an attack at the hands of one of Arjun's kin, close to Vandiperiyar town in Idukki district. "The assault, which appears to have been carried out with a sharp weapon, happened at about 11.30 a.m. by a relation of Arjun against the girl's dad and grandfather," said a police official. The perpetrator fled post the assault and the authorities are yet to apprehend him.

A POCSO court formerly found Arjun, aged 24, not guilty on December 14, 2023, citing that 'the prosecution could not establish culpability factors aligning with the accused's guilt and opposing his innocence.' The Kerala Government's appeal against this acquittal was acknowledged by the Kerala High Court on January 4. The victim, a six-year-old girl, was discovered hanged at her residence on June 30, 2021, subsequent to her parents departing for work at a local plantation. Although the authorities initially reported the incident as an unnatural death, the girl's post-mortem examination revealed she had been sexually abused prior to her hanging.