Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil today said that the accused in the alleged rape and murder of three minor sisters in Bhandara district will be brought to book soon.

"The culprits in the case will be arrested soon," Patil said when asked by reporters about the efforts being made by the government in the case. Patil said the probe in the case was going on in the right direction.

He, however, said the Murmadi villagers in Bhandara were not giving proper information regarding the case. The three sisters, aged six, nine and eleven, who were studying in a local school, had gone missing on February 14 and their bodies were recovered from a well in the village on February 16. Police sources at Bhandara said the mother of the victims and one person involved in borewell drilling business were being questioned in connection with the case.

The initial post-mortem of the girls had confirmed that they were raped and murdered. However, the forensic findings contradicted the report. The report did not show any traces of semen. The findings are also inconclusive on whether the girls were murdered.