UP: Spurned youth poisoned 3 Dalit girls in Unnao, claim police

LUCKNOW: Claiming it to be a diabolic act of a spurned lover, police on Friday said that the three minor Dalit girls found unconscious in their field at Baburha village of Unnao two days ago were poisoned by a youth from a neighbouring village.
Police have arrested a 25-year-old youth, Vinay Kumar alias Lambu, and his 15-year-old minor accomplice as the two accused in the case.
While two girls, aged 13 and 15, died the same day on way to hospital and were buried as per the family tradition on Friday, the third one, who is about 17-year-old, is battling for life at a Kanpur hospital. Vinay wanted to have a relationship with this girl, but she spurned him, police say.
IG, Lucknow Zone, Lakshmi Singh, who is supervising the probe, said that Vinay has confessed that he wanted to kill the 17-year-old by making her drink water spiked with insecticide but the other two also drank from the same bottle and he couldn't do much about it.
According to police, families of three girls, who are related, and Vinay have farm land situated close by at Baburaha village. They developed friendship when all four started visiting their field more frequently during the lockdown. However, Vinay started getting romantically inclined to the 17-year-old. "On Valentine’s Day (Feb 14), Vinay approached her and asked for her phone number but she refused point-blank. He made this diabolic plot after being spurned," the officer said.
"On February 17, when the three girls and Vinay along with his minor aide reached their fields, he offered the girl chips and water, which was full of pesticide. But as fate would have it, all three consumed the chips and drank water from the bottle, leading them to a state of unconsciousness. Seeing the three girls gasping for breath and beginning to faint, Vinay and his friend fled away," said Singh.
The IG said that, however, the location of the accused was found near the deceased's field on the fateful day. The forensic team had also found packets of chips and snacks near the crime scene. Based on this clue, sniffers dogs took the probe team to the shop from which the packets had been brought. This also helped them get the breakthrough.
Meanwhile, the 17-year-old girl is still in an unconscious state and all the statements of Vinay and his accomplice would be corroborated with her before making a final charge sheet in the case, the IG said.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)