Son of Kathua Rape & Murder ‘Mastermind’ held in UP

In a major breakthrough in rape and murder of an eight year old nomadic girl in Kathua, J&K Police has arrested son of the “mastermind” in the horrifying crime from Uttar Pradesh.
Vishal, son of 60-year-old Sanji Ram, a retired revenue officer was arrested by a special team of the crime branch from Meerut three days ago.
“Yes, the accused Vishal was arrested from Meerut,” the official disclosed to Kashmir Post.
Ram is believed to have engineered the rape and murder of Asifa Bano to allegedly create fear among Muslim nomadic families living in the Jammu’s Rasana village and drive them out of the area. After his name cropped up during the investigation Ram went into hiding.
According to the investigation, Ram allegedly motivated Special Police Officer Deepak Khajuria, the main accused in the case, to execute the heinous crime.
The child was kidnapped from outside her home at Rassana village in Kathua on January 10 and her body was spotted by villagers in a nearby forest on January 17.
The crime triggered outrage across the state. “He (Vishal) is one of the main accused in the case and had played a key role in the whole conspiracy,” said the official.
So far the crime branch has arrested a sub inspector, head constable, two Special Police Officers including the main accused, among seven people in the case. While the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has assured justice to the victim’s family, a recently formed group Hindu Ekta Manch has rallied in support of the accused and leading an agitation for the transfer of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation.