Srinagar, 20 August (H.S.): Within 48 hours, police in Ganderbal today cracked the case of a minor girl’s murder in the district’s Sehpora area by arresting her elder sister, who allegedly killed her younger sibling in a “fit of rage.”

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ganderbal, Khalil Poswal, shared details of the investigation during a press conference, ruling out the involvement of any other person and dismissing the initial “abduction story” that was put forth.

“After the investigation, the elder sister has admitted that she killed her. It has come to the fore that they had an altercation at the spot and exchanged punches. Then the elder one took a wooden stick and hit her. Once she saw that the younger one had fallen down, she struck her again, and that killed her,” SSP Poswal said.

He added that the stick used in the crime, which the accused had thrown away, was recovered in the presence of a magistrate and forensic team.

“There is blood on it and it is the same one used in the commission of crime,” he said.

Police have registered the case under Section 103 BNS, arrested the accused, and further investigation is underway.

It is to be noted here that the deceased was a class 7 student, aged nearly 13 years, while the accused is a student of class 11. As per police, there have been instances of altercation between the two in the past as well.

“We have ensured that videography is done at every stage, and the parents were made part of the process, we have not examined any evidence in isolation,” the SSP said, adding: “The accused will be now produced before the court.”

Police said that during sustained interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime and the clothes “she had changed into at a cousin’s house” were recovered and found to have bloodstains.

Forensic samples, including “plucked hair” found in the deceased’s hands, have also been collected for examination, police said.

“The accused even tried to mislead investigators by naming another individual, but tower location data confirmed he was not present,” the SSP said.

SSP added that the initial claims of abduction could not be corroborated as well.

CCTV footage from the road near the crime scene and the victim’s house was examined, which contradicted the elder sister’s statement, he said.

He stated that the spot shown by the accused as the place of abduction-a paddy field-did not match the evidence either.

Poswal said that by connecting the sequence of events, police are ensuring a foolproof investigation so that the accused gets due punishment. “It is a gruesome crime and the investigation is in progress.”

Recounting the case, police said that on August 17, information was received about a girl lying unconscious in Sehpora, following which a police team from Kheer Bhawani reached the spot and found the girl dead.

A case under FIR No. 29/2025 was registered at Kheer Bhawani Police Station and investigation was set in motion.

“Given the sensitivity of the matter, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted and forensic experts were called from Srinagar,” SSP said.

He said that as a part of the investigation, the crime scene was preserved, the body was shifted to hospital, and a post-mortem was conducted by a board of doctors. “An MRI was also carried out to ensure all aspects were covered.”

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar