Ghaziabad:
A seven-year-old girl who was found dead in the basement of an under-construction mall in Ghaziabad’s Raj Nagar Extension was befriended by one of the accused, who often played with her and her brothers and gave them chocolates, chips and toffees to gain their trust.
The girl’s body was recovered during the early hours of Saturday from the basement of the building. A post-mortem examination confirmed that she was raped before her death and died due to a head injury. Police have registered an FIR based on a complaint filed by the family.
According to police, the accused had been working at the under-construction mall for nearly two-and-a-half months before the crime.
One of the accused had befriended the victim and her brothers, often playing with them and giving them chocolates, chips and toffees.
CCTV footage also showed the accused luring the girl away on the pretext of buying snacks and a soft drink.
Assault And Murder
The girl’s maternal uncle said the child had been missing since Friday evening and the family had been searching for her. The victim’s parents work as labourers at the same construction site and live in a makeshift shelter on the premises.
Police said the accused took the minor to the third floor of the building, where she was assaulted and raped before being murdered.
The accused repeatedly struck the girl’s head with an iron rod to kill her.
The crime scene on the third floor had bloodstained walls and floor, police said.
Body Dumped In Basement
After the murder, the accused disposed of the body by dropping it through a shaft from the third floor into the basement in an attempt to conceal the crime.
Police said the lack of electricity inside the building made it easier for the accused to dump the body.
The child’s body was discovered in the basement around 1:05 am by her relatives.
According to the victim’s family, the girl was found with a severe head injury and multiple fractures.
During the investigation, police identified the two main accused on the basis of CCTV footage and other evidence and arrested them.
Those arrested include one adult and one minor.
Police also recovered the victim’s slippers, trousers and the bloodstained iron rod allegedly used in the murder.
