HAZARIBAG: Nearly half a dozen people have been detained for questioning in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district, police said on Tuesday.
Hazaribag SP Anjani Anjan said investigators have obtained crucial leads and are close to solving the case.
"We have certain leads and detained several persons for interrogation. We are close to solving the case," he told PTI.
A senior police officer associated with the investigation said all suspects are being questioned based on available evidence, and arrests are expected soon.
The Jharkhand High Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of the incident and issued notices to the state administration and the DGP.
According to the FIR lodged by the family, the girl had gone with her mother to watch the 'Mangla' procession, taken out as part of Ram Navami celebrations, on the night of March 24.
She was allegedly abducted, and her body was recovered from a field the next day.
A three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the case.
Meanwhile, members of the BJP Mahila Morcha submitted a memorandum to the Sub-Divisional Officer at Bishnugarh, demanding immediate arrest of the culprits and strict punishment for those involved.
The delegation, led by Shefali Gupta, had initially gone to meet the deputy commissioner but submitted the memorandum to the SDO in his absence.
The BJP had also called a 12-hour Hazaribag bandh on Monday in protest against the incident.
State BJP president Aditya Sahu has warned that the party will call a statewide bandh on April 3 if the accused are not arrested within the next two days.