Bodies of three sisters ages 6, 9, 11 were found in a village well in India's Maharashtra state on February 14.

Indian police launched a manhunt for the men suspected of the rape and killing of three sisters. The bodies were found after they had gone missing from school.

"Three sisters 6, 9 and 11 were raped, murdered their bodies thrown into a well last week in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, a senior police officer told Efe on Wednesday," according to La Prensa.

Police officer Arti Singh stated that "The three (girls) were raped before being murdered."

The girls lost their father four years ago and were brought up by their mother and grandparents in extreme poverty.

The police initially stated the rape and killing of the three young girls was "an accident" and it was not until the mother of the three girls began to protest, then the case was taken seriously by officials. It was only after the mother and other enraged villagers forced shops to close, burned tires and blocked a national highway passing through the area for several hours on Wednesday that the police initiate the manhunt.

"The police did not take the case seriously and did nothing for two days," she told the CNN-IBN television news channel.

"It is unacceptable. All of us have to hang our heads in shame," said Indian Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel. At least one police officer was suspended "for not acting promptly."

The killing were called a "very very heinous assault" by Cabinet Minister Manish Tewari and announced that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was sending 1 million rupees ($18,300) to the family.