Kochi: The Uttar Pradesh police have arrested six persons in connection with the rape and murder of two minor Dalit girls in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh.
The accused have been booked under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and other offences including section 302 of the IPC.
The accused were identified as Chotu, Junaid, Suhail, Hafizul Rehman, Karimuddin and Arif and belonged to the same village where the girls aged 15 and 17 lived.
Chottu knew the girls and it was he who introduced the other accused to them, media reports said.
Junaid was arrested following an encounter.
According to police the accused raped and hanged them from a tree. Their bodies were found on September 14.
The BSP chief and former Chief Minister Mayawathi has expressed shock and blamed the BJP government for failing to maintain Law and order. Congress leader Priyanka Vadra has also flayed the state government for the incident.
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