The mutilated remains of an 8-year-old girl were discovered near a brick kiln in Purvi Tola village in Bihar’s Munger district under Safiabad police limits on Thursday.
The victim has been identified as the eldest daughter of a village fisherman, The Times of India reported. She was studying in Grade 2. They resided near the banks of Ganges, and often visited the holy river for a dip. However, on the fateful Wednesday, the young girl never returned home after an alleged visit to the river banks.
According to India Today, it appeared that the victim was raped, with her right eye gouged out and her fingers crushed. The incident came to light after the girl’s family alerted the police. They reported to the police that she went missing after stepping out to the banks of the Ganges river for a bath on Wednesday along with her father. Her father returned home, but she did not.
After hours of search, the victim’s corpse was finally discovered by villagers at around 5am on Thursday morning. Local police averred that the crime had occurred roughly about 200 metres from the river banks, where her body was disposed of. However, officials further alleged that the family did not inform the police on the day she went missing (Wednesday evening), and carried out a search on their own before villagers discovered the child’s body.
The case was labeled as an instance of rape followed by strangulation to conceal the gory crime as blood stains where seen in the area where her body was lying. While an FIR was registered, it was filed against unknown persons as the girl's father did not suspect anyone’s involvement.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Nandji Prasad maintained that exact details will only be confirmed after a post-mortem is conducted. The body has been sent for the post-mortem to an expert medical professional, he said.
After the incident, there is anger among the village locals and the family members are reportedly extremely distraught.
A detailed investigation has been launched to ascertain as to whether she was strangulated or throttled to death. The police and Kumari’s family are awaiting a post-mortem report. The SHO informed that sniffer dogs were pressed into service to reportedly trace the movement of the culprits.
