New Delhi, May 24: A three-and-a-half-year-old girl was abducted, raped and murdered by her neighbour in Delhi's Kapashera area and her body dumped in a drain, police said on Friday.

Police said that at 8.51 p.m. on Wednesday, a police control room (PCR) call was received about the abduction of a minor girl in street No. 9, Kapashera and a team was dispatched to the spot. The victim’s mother told police that around 6 p.m., her daughter was kidnapped by a neighbour named Anil. Delhi Shocker: Neighbour Abducts and Murders Girl Child in Kapashera Area, Dumps Body in Drain; Arrested.

"A massive search operation was launched to trace the girl and the accused. The team obtained CCTV footage from the cameras in the vicinity, and in one camera, at 7.05 p.m., the accused was seen with the girl going towards Ganda Nala. In the same camera, he was caught returning alone without the girl at around 7.25 p.m.," Deputy Commissioner of Police, Southwest, Rohit Meena said.

Accused Anil, 34, was traced and apprehended at about 11.55 p.m. the same day from a bus heading towards Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur. According to the official, he was interrogated and initially denied having played any role whatsoever in the kidnapping. But during sustained interrogation, he broke down and admitted to having killed and dumped the little girl in a marshy drain located at the border of Gurugram and Kapashera, he added. Delhi Shocker: Three-Year-Old Girl Raped by Tenant in Peeragarhi Area, Accused Absconding; Case Registered Under POCSO Act.

"Anil then led the police team to the said drain, where the search for the girl’s body was conducted in a vast expanse of marshy terrain, dense bushes, and heaps of garbage. After a long search operation lasting more than an hour in the dark, the girl’s body was finally found dumped in the drain," the DCP said.

At that moment, the accused sensed an opportunity to escape. "He grabbed the loaded service revolver of a police officer, as he tried to escape from custody, and fired at the police team. The police fired in self-defence, hitting the accused. He was immediately rushed to the Indira Gandhi Hospital," he said.

The crime and FSL teams were summoned to the spot. "The dead body was examined by the FSL and crime team. The accused was arrested and is now in judicial custody," the DCP said, A post-mortem examination of the victim is being conducted by a medical board, the DCP said, adding that police have added Section 376 (Rape) of the Indian Penal Code in the FIR.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 24, 2024 11:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).