Girl Who Died Of Snakebite Was Raped By Elderly Man Months Ago

A septuagenarian in India has been arrested for raping a 13-year-old girl, but only after the minor died of snakebite.

The young girl died of snakebite in the Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu on Monday. Police said that the minor girl's relatives told them that she faced sexual abuse at the hands of Balu, a 78-year-old man, at least three months ago, according to The Times of India.

As per the police investigation, the old man had raped the young girl in a bush where she had gone to relieve herself. At the time, a passerby filmed the video of the man abusing the minor and circulated it among his friends on Whatsapp. The video started doing rounds on the internet again after the girl’s death as villagers believed that she was murdered. This led to the arrest of the old man, the report said.

The girl was staying with her relatives as her parents had passed away within five years of her birth. According to police, the girl went outside Sunday night to answer nature's call when the snake bit her. Her relatives rushed her to a local government hospital where she was declared dead, the outlet reported.

After the girl's last rites were performed Monday evening, some youths in the village were found sharing the video of the crime. In the clip, the old man was seen forcing himself on the girl as she tried to fend him off. Police later arrested the youths on charges of circulating obscene content on the internet, the report said.

The autopsy report of the girl revealed that she died of snakebite, falsifying the speculations that she was murdered, according to The News Minute. "Postmortem confirmed that she has died of snakebite," a police officer told the outlet.

Deputies believe the arrested youths may have blackmailed the old man with the clip and extorted money. The old man is now facing charges relating to penetrative sexual assault.

On Tuesday, an additional case was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in connection with the incident.