Lakhimpur Kheri, September 15: The two sisters, who were murdered after being raped here, were strangled to death by the accused because they insisted that since they had been violated, the men marry them, police said on Thursday.

"The men took advantage of the fact that they were friendly with the girls and raped them. As the girls then started saying they would have to marry them, the men got angry and strangled them with their dupattas. They later called two of their friends, who helped them hang the girls so that it looked like a suicide," said Superintendent of Police (SP) Sanjeev Suman.

The main accused Chotu had allegedly introduced the girls to three others but was not at the scene of crime. The three, who carried out the crime, and the two, who helped them in a coverup attempt, are from another village close to the girls, he said. Lakhimpur Kheri: Main Accused Chhotu Gautam and 5 Others Arrested for Rape and Murder of Dalit Teenage Sisters in Uttar Pradesh.

The SP said that one of the men was caught this morning in an encounter with the police, who shot him in the leg. He had been identified on Wednesday, police said.

All six have been booked for murder and rape, besides under the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The SP said that the girls were 'not forcibly abducted'. He said that the post-mortem examination is being conducted by a panel of three doctors.

"It will be videographed, and some members of the victims' family will be inside as they wanted to be sure. We will do everything that the family wants. That is important, we understand," he said. The accused have been identified as Chotu, Junaid, Sohail, Arif, Hafiz and Karimuddin. All of them are being interrogated.

The bodies of the two Dalit minor sisters, aged nearly 14 and 17 years respectively, were found allegedly hanging from a tree outside a village in Nighasan area of Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri district, police said on Wednesday.

The mother of the girls said that her daughters were kidnapped by three bike-borne men at nearly 3 p.m. on Wednesday and were later found hanging from a tree in a cane field. The girls' family alleged that they were raped and murdered.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 15, 2022 11:07 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).