Baghpat: Girl’s mutilated body found in field, two neighbours booked

A man and his wife have been booked under the charge of murder after the mutilated body of their seven-year-old neighbour was found in a sugarcane field in Baghpat on Saturday night.

While the girl’s family has alleged sexual assault, the police have denied it on the basis of a postmortem report. The police are investigating a rivalry angle between the girl’s family and the couple booked under IPC sections 302 (murder) and 201 (false information). The man has been detained and is being questioned.

The girl’s family staged a protest with her body on Sunday, demanding swift action in the case.

“We received information on Saturday night that a girl had gone missing. Her body was found in a sugarcane field close to her house. The postmortem was carried out at night. The medical opinion stated she died of antemortem injuries… by a wild animal. The police are investigating all angles,” said Manish Mishra, ASP Baghpat.

The girl’s family told the police that she went missing after 7 pm. The family thought she was watching TV in a neighbouring house, but they became anxious when she did not return.

“We looked everywhere but she was not found. Finally, we saw her body next to a sugarcane bush. She was found with leaves in her mouth. She had injuries all over her body. It seemed as if she was bit in the ear and several other places. Whoever did it to her showed no mercy. It was very brutal. We hope the accused is punished severely for this,” said a family member of the victim.

The family alleged that the girl was a victim of sexual assault, but the police denied this. Given the sensitive nature of the case, the postmortem was carried out at night. As per the report, there was no sexual molestation or rape, and the death was due to injuries inflicted by a wild animal,” said Baghpat SP Abhishek Singh.