Table of Contents
In September 2023, in the Karimganj district of Assam, three men were arrested for allegedly murdering a 17-year-old girl and for engaging in sexual acts with the corpse afterwards. It is a confirmed case of necrophilia and three men who are suspected behind this incident have been identified as Biplab Paul (25), Rahul Das (27) and Shubro Malakar (27). Rahul Das, a newly recruited fourth-grade employee of the railways, is proven to be the mastermind behind the event.
Rahul Das had been in a relationship with the teenage girl and had been consistently pushing her to establish physical relationships with him. However, he constantly failed to substantiate his demands as the minor girl continued to deny such requests, as revealed later by the culprit himself.
What happened?
On September 9, when Rahul got to know that the girl was alone at her place, he reached her house with two of his friends and they attempted to force themselves on her. However, as the girl resisted, they strangulated her and then took turns raping the corpse afterwards.
The girl’s body was later discovered beside the Karimganj town bypass and was identified by her family members who stated that she was found in a semi-nude state and had blood stains all over her private parts. Many locals had earlier suspected that the deceased was first raped and then murdered. However, the body was later sent to Silchar Medical College and Hospital for the post-mortem, the details of which further added to the development of the case. The doctors revealed that this was a case of necrophilia (sexual intercourse with the dead bodies).
Case of Necrophilia: The Details of the Investigation
Partha Protim Das, Karimganj Superintendent, has briefed the media about the particulars of the incident where he revealed that the three perpetrators were found through the mobile number found in the diary of the deceased. They were later arrested from their respective houses located in Karimganj town. A case has been registered under Section 302 (murder), Section 376D (gangrape) and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The Superintendent of Police has also shared that Rahul Das had bought two mobile SIM cards, which were then used by both Rahul and the victim to stay in constant touch with each other. These SIM cards were bought from Shubhra Malakar who was also an accomplice in the whole incident. The bereaved family stated that they had talked to their daughter til 9 p.m. on a Saturday night and things seemed casual. They were later shocked to find her dead and dumped on the bypass, a case of necrophilia confirmed later on.
National Crimes Record Bureau published a report titled ‘Crime in India 2021’ in which it was reported that nearly 49 cases of crime against women are lodged every hour in India, with an average of 86 rape cases daily. There was a 19.34% increase in rape cases in 2021 as compared to 2020. Reports and surveys like these attempt to draw one’s attention towards the changing landscapes of violence in both cities and rural areas where despite the laws and regulations, crimes against women (molestation, sexual assault, murder etc.) have only increased.
