Russian President Vladimir Putin has pardoned a convicted murderer after his decided to enlist for the war in Ukraine. Vladislav Kanyus served less than a year of his 17-year sentence for brutally killing his ex-girlfriend, Vera Pekhteleva, reports suggest.

Kanyus had stabbed his ex-girlfriend 111 times, raped and tortured her for three-and-a-half hours, for breaking up with him. He then strangled her with a cable iron, ultimately killing her, according to The Sun. Hearing her scream, neighbours called the police seven times, but their calls went unanswered.

This revelation came after Vera Pekhteleva’s mother, Oksana, discovered photographs of Kanyus in a military uniform holding a weapon. The mourning mother lamented, “This was a blow at me. My child will rot in her grave and I’ve been deprived of everything – my life, any hope.”

“I don’t live, I exist. This simply finished me off, it just totally finished me off. I am a very strong person. But this lawlessness of our state just pushes me into a dead end. I don’t know what to do next,” she cried.

Women’s rights activist Alyona Popova on Wednesday said that prison authorities confirmed Kanyus’ transfer to Rostov in southern Russia, bordering Ukraine. She shared a letter from the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office dated November 3, stating that Kanyus had been pardoned, and his conviction was expunged by a presidential decree on April 27. 

Oksana is heartbroken and blames Putin for pardoning her daughter’s killer. She is confused by the decision to let him join the war after murdering her daughter and is now worried for her own safety. “How could a cruel murderer be given a weapon? Why is he sent to the front – to defend Russia? He is scum. He is not a human being,” she said.

“[The killer] can at any moment kill any of us, the victims, out of revenge.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov defended the policy, saying that Russian prisoners sent to fight in Ukraine are atoning for their crimes “with blood,” AFP reported. “Those convicted, including for serious crimes, are atoning with blood for their crime on the battlefield,” Peskov told reporters.

A massive protest is being held outside a police station in Rajasthan’s Dausa district after a four-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a cop. Villagers, who have turned up outside the police station in large numbers, beat up the sub-inspector accused of raping the girl.

Sub-inspector Bhupendra Singh, who was on election duty, allegedly lured the girl into his room and raped her. The accused has been arrested and is being investigated, Assistant Superintendent of Police Bajrang Singh said.

“A case has been registered in Rahuwas police station against an SI identified as Bhupendra based on the complaint by a family living nearby. They have accused him of rape. A medical examination is being done of the minor girl. Necessary action will be taken,” Mr Singh said.

As the news spread, villagers gathered around the Rahuwas police station in large numbers, shouting slogans against the police. They also beat up Bhupendra Singh before handing him over to the police.

BJP MP Kirodi Lal Meena, who went to the spot, said, “There is a huge anger among the people over the incident of rape of a seven-year-old Dalit girl by a policeman in Lalsot. I have reached the spot to get justice for the innocent child.”

लालसोट में 7 साल की दलित बच्ची के साथ पुलिसकर्मी द्वारा दुष्कर्म की घटना से लोगों में भारी आक्रोश है। मासूम को न्याय दिलाने के लिए मौके पर पहुंच गया हूं। अशोक गहलोत सरकार के नाकारापन से निरंकुश हुई पुलिस चुनाव जैसे संवेदनशील मौके पर भी ज्यादती करने से बाज नहीं आ रही। pic.twitter.com/xnIB13eyWi

— Dr.Kirodi Lal Meena (@DrKirodilalBJP) November 10, 2023

The BJP MP has also announced a compensation of Rs 50 lakh for the girl’s family.

“I have come here to help the girl. The sub-inspector has been arrested. For me, elections come afterwards, and my first priority will be giving the family justice. It is a shameful incident,” Mr Meena said.

Several houseboats on Dal lake in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar were reduced to ashes in a massive fire early this morning, the police said.

Police said the fire broke out at a houseboat near Ghat number 9 of Dal lake, which quickly spread and engulfed other houseboats.

While five houseboats have been completely destroyed, several others suffered damage, officials said.

“There were no immediate reports of injuries or loss of lives in the fire,” they said.

Police said the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.