An eight-year-old girl who had gone missing from her home in the morning was discovered dead in her neighbor’s house in Surat’s Katargam district on Wednesday afternoon. The accused was apprehended by police while attempting to flee Surat.
It is also suspected that the minor girl was raped prior to her murder. The deceased girl is the youngest of three daughters of a migrant family, according to police. She had gone missing around 11.10 a.m. on Wednesday near her home.
According to her father’s complaint filed with the Chowk Bazaar police station, the victim was playing outside her house when she went missing. Her mother began looking for her after she did not return home after an hour.
She informed her husband about incident, who works at a power loom factory on Ved road. Before informing the Chowk Bazaar police, her family members searched the entire area, including her school.
The police conducted a search of the entire community and discovered one of the houses to be locked. The cops were informed by the neighbours that a young man named Mukesh Prajapati (35) was living at the house with his family.
According to the Chowk Bazaar police, Prajapati was alone in the house because his family was away in Mehsana. His phone was unanswered.
The cops broke open the house’s main door and found a dead body hidden in a gunny bag beneath the bed. The body was identified by family members and taken to the Civil Hospital for medical examination.
While the medical reports are being awaited, it has emerged that the girl was strangulated to death. “We have caught the accused who was allegedly trying to leave Surat for his native place”, a crime branch police officer said.