Naeem alias Chhotu Khan, the second culprit in the murder of Hindu student Ankita in Dumka, has been apprehended by police in Jharkhand. Naeem was absconding after the incident. The primary accused, Shahrukh Hussain, was apprehended by police on August 23.
Jharkhand | Naeem alias Chhotu Khan, the second accused in Dumka murder case, has been arrested. After presenting the accused in Dumka court, he was sent to jail: Dumka SP Amber Lakra https://t.co/Fu6bDvGAOd pic.twitter.com/J2qdAW9iKf
— ANI (@ANI) August 29, 2022
According to Dumka Superintendent of Police Amber Lakra, Naeem was arrested and produced in court after which he was sent to jail. The horrific attack on Ankita happened on Tuesday (August 23) morning in Dumka in Jharkhand.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that SDPO Noor Mustafa Khan has been removed as the Investigation Officer from the case. There were protests from the locals regarding negligence by SDPO Noor Mustafa in investigating the case. Reports also suggest that former Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das accused Noor Mustafa of being involved with the radical Islamist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI).
Ankita died struggling for life on Sunday
On Sunday, Ankita Kumari, who was being treated at a hospital in Jharkhand after Shahrukh Hussain poured petrol on her and set fire to her, died in hospital. Ankita had rejected Shahrukh Hussain’s advances, so he doused her with petrol and set her ablaze.
Ankita had told the police in a critical state that her neighbour, Shahrukh, used to harass her every day. In the past, he would approach her and want to be ‘friends’ with her. Additionally, he had her phone number and had called her frequently, appealing for a relationship. When Ankita chastised him for not stopping, he threatened to kill her.
Ankita told her father about the incident on Monday (August 22). However, when she got up the next morning, her body was engulfed in flames as she ran up to family members attempting to extinguish the fire. Her relatives rushed her to the hospital. It was found in the hospital that Ankita had suffered severe burns. It turned out that Shahrukh went to Ankita’s house on Tuesday morning, poured petrol on Ankita through a window when she was asleep in her bed and torched her, and then fled from the scene.
Ankita identified Shahrukh as the perpetrator in the hospital. The following day, authorities nabbed Shahrukh after recording testimonies from Ankita and her family members. She was brought to Phoolo Jhano Medical College Hospital in Dumka but was later transferred to RIMS in Ranchi due to her serious condition. Ankita’s family members hoped she would survive. However, due to severe burns which were reportedly around 90%, she was unable to recuperate and died around 2:30 AM on Sunday.
