THE brutal assault on a six-yearold minor girl in Gauharganj on November 21 stunned the entire State. But more shocking is the fact that even after 72 hours of his arrest, the accused Salman alias Nazar, has shown no sign of remorse or shame. The accused, currently bound to a hospital bed under heavy security, is complaining about his pain but has not once expressed regret for the cruelty inflicted on the child.

 

With neither fear nor repentance in his eyes, he is undergoing treatment with a stone-cold demeanor. During police interrogation, the accused made several startling revelations. He confessed that he considered the minor a ‘soft target’. The accused told the police he did not anticipate that the matter would escalate so severely and that people would recognise him.

 

When the child started crying, he panicked, physically assaulted her, and fled the scene when her condition deteriorated. During interrogation the accused revealed that after committing the crime, he reached Bhopal via 11 Mile. For four days, he spent his nights on footpaths, constantly changing locations to evade police. He worked as a labourer in Kazi Camp for two days, surviving on samosas and kachoris bought with the earnings. To hide his identity, he used a mask for four days.

 

After working, he roamed the streets, bus stands and footpaths of Bhopal wearing the mask. Finally, on the night of November 26, he reached Gandhinagar again via an outer city route and was hiding there until the night before his arrest. Interrogation to commence after treatment: Raisen Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Gupta confirmed that the accused is being kept under strict surveillance by security forces and his treatment is ongoing at the hospital. He stated that once the accused completes his treatment, he will be taken on remand and the intensive interrogation will begin.

 

Stolen mobile phones remainuntraced: A serious oversight in the investigation is that two mobile phones stolen by the accused from the house of Rakesh Adivasi in the village after the assault have not been recovered even after his arrest. Police have now enlisted the help of a technical team to trace mobiles, which could serve as vital evidence in the investigation.