Overview

• Surjeet, 33, was arrested in Auraiya after confessing that he raped and strangled his 14-year-old cousin hours after she tied him a rakhi
• Forensic examination of the body confirmed sexual assault and contradicted the initial staging of suicide by hanging
• Investigators recovered hair from under the victim’s nails and collected samples from the suspect for DNA comparison at the Forensic Science Laboratory in Jhansi
• Authorities are withholding the victim’s identity under Supreme Court directives for cases involving minors in sexual assault
• Police are preparing formal charges as they await DNA test results to strengthen the forensic-led investigation