Seventh accused in WJH minor’s rape surrenders

SHILLONG: The seventh accused in the alleged sexual assault of a minor girl in West Jaintia Hills District on January 2, surrendered before the district police on Monday.
Police had earlier arrested six others, including two juveniles, for their involvement in the crime while a seventh accused had absconded.
West Jaintia Hills Police said that due to the sustained efforts of the district police in raiding all the known places where the accused person was suspected to be hiding, the accused finally surrendered.
According to police, the family members of the accused have claimed that he is a juvenile and hence police would seek the court’s permission for an ossification (bone) test to determine his actual age.
The accused was produced before a magistrate on Monday evening.
The 16-year-old girl was allegedly subjected to sexual assault by a group of seven persons hailing from the same village when she was returning from a community feast when the accused accosted her and offered her company. Subsequently, they attacked the girl.