‘Missing’ 7-yr-old found raped and murdered in Nuh, probe launched

Gururgam

The body of a seven-year-old girl, who had been reported missing for a day, was recovered from the outskirts of Ferozepur Jhirka village on Friday, police said.

Investigators said that a medical examination so far had confirmed that the girl had been raped before being strangulated to death.

Sangeeta Kalia, superintendent of police, Nuh, said that the police had found signs of the body being dragged near the spot, which clearly hinted towards murder. “The killers probably strangulated the girl with her clothes and then abandoned her body at the spot. We think that the suspect/s is of the same village where the girl used to graze cattle everyday. A medical examination has revealed sexual assault, which seems to be the motive behind the crime. We have received some strong leads and will crack the case soon,” she said

The SP added that a number of people, including those who first spotted the body lying near the rocks in a hilly region on the outskirts of the village, were being interrogated.

Police said that the girl had gone missing since Thursday afternoon. On Friday, after the body was recovered, protests broke out in the area, led by parents and kin of the victim.

The parents of the victim, who are grief-stricken, have demanded early arrest and death penalty for anyone who was found guilty. “Our only wish is the accused should be hanged for this heinous crime so that no other family has to go through it,” mother said.

Police said that the girl went to graze cattle at the same spot everyday and used to be accompanied by neighbours. On Thursday, she went alone.

A case under section Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and 302 (murder) was registered at Ferozepur Jhirka police station on Friday.