Asifa rape-n-murder case: Kingpin surrenders before police after son’s arrest

Srinagar: The alleged main kingpin and mastermind of Asifa rape-and-murder case has surrendered before the Crime Branch of the Jammu and Kashmir police.
The accused Sanji Ram, former ex-revenue official, was evading arrest after his involvement came to light, sources said.
Asifa Bano, an eight-year-old nomad Muslim girl, was abducted, raped and murdered in Hiranagar area of Kathua district on January 10 and her body was spotted by villagers in a nearby forest on January 17.
Sources said Ram, 60, surrendered before Senior Superintendent of Police (CB) Jammu.
The development came just a day after Ram’s son Vishal was arrested from Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut district.
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.
Investigators said that Ram allegedly motivated Special Police Officer Deepak Khajuria, the main accused in the case, to execute the heinous crime.
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.