Unnao teen girl leaves home on cycle, found burnt to death; 1 held

The victim’s uncle, Kamal Kishore, also a labourer who lives in the same house with his wife and children, told The Indian Express that Moni had left home around 4.30 pm on her bicycle to buy some commodities from the weekly market in neighbouring Theda village, which is about 1 km from their home. “After around 45 minutes, we heard that a girl’s body was seen burning near an under-construction community health centre, around 400 metres from our house. We rushed there and identified the body as Moni’s on the basis of her slippers and the bicycle,” he said.

Moni’s elder sister Soni, who got married nine years ago, said her identity was further confirmed by her gold earrings. The girl died by the time the police arrived on the scene. They found a 2-litre plastic bottle and petrol near the spot. The victim’s half-burnt scarf was also recovered from there. In the evening, Moni’s mother Gilla (56) lodged a complaint against unidentified assailants for sprinkling petrol on her daughter and setting her on fire. A murder case was lodged on the basis of her complaint.

Moni’s brother Suraj said, “She used to go the market on her bicycle using the same route. We don’t have any enmity with anyone, and cannot say who is behind the murder.” Her mother and sister Soni did not reply to any query on Moni. “This is the most gruesome murder the village has seen. Residents are in shock,” said village head Ayodhya Prasad, who comes from a Dalit family.

Residents of the village were tight-lipped about the murder. “I have not heard about Moni being in a relationship with anyone, or being followed by anybody,” said Sushma, a neighbour. Radha, a villager about the same age as Moni, said, “Moni never discussed any kind of harassment with us.”