Kerala HC directs police to arrest man accused of raping, killing minor girl

Kochi (Kerala) [India], June 1 : The Kerala High Court on Monday directed the police to immediately arrest the man accused of rape and murder of a schoolgirl in Valparai town in Tamil Nadu in January this year.
Notably, the accused identified as Safar Shah was granted bail by the High Court last week.
A bench of Justice PV Kunhikrishnan, after hearing arguments on a plea challenging the bail, directed the police to immediately arrest the accused person.
The petition said that the accused got bail after the defence counsel misled the court that the chargesheet was not submitted before a court in the case within 90 days.
"The defence counsel told the court last week that the chargesheet was not submitted by the probe team within 90 days of the arrest. However, Shah was arrested on January 8 for kidnapping, raping and murdering the school girl. The probe team submitted the chargesheet before April 8, when the case would have completed 90 days," the plea said.
The accused had allegedly kidnapped a minor girl from Ernakulam district of Kerala on January 7, raped and murdered her, and abandoned the body at Valparai in Tamil Nadu.