Lakhimpur Kheri (TIP)- The police have arrested six people for the rape and murder of two Dalit sisters in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district on Thursday, September 16. The autopsy report of the victims has confirmed that they were raped and strangulated to death before they were hanged to a tree by the accused men.

The accused have been identified as Chotu, Junaid, Suhail, Kareemuddin, Arif and Hafeez-ur-Rehman. Junaid was arrested after an encounter with the police in which he was shot in the leg, the police said.

Speaking to India Today TV, Superintendent of Police of Lakhimpur Sanjeev Suman said all the accused, other than Chotu, hailed from Lalpur village in Lakhimpur Kheri. Contrary to the victims’ family’s claim that the girls were kidnapped, SP Sanjeev Suman said the girls went with the accused with their free will.

Chotu, who was a neighbour of the girls, had introduced the two girls to the accused. He too has been arrested.

“Accused were friends with deceased girls. Girls were yesterday lured to farms and raped by Sohail and Junaid. After the girls forced the accused to marry them, Sohail, Hafizul and Junaid strangulated and killed them. They then called Karimuddin and Arif and hanged the girls to eliminate proof,” the SP said.

All the accused have been booked under IPC Sections 302, 376 and the Pocso act, the SP said. The police will also add penalties under SC/ST Act in this case.

A panel of three doctors conducted the post-mortem of the victims. According to the autopsy report, the teenage girls were raped and then they were strangulated to death.