5-year-old girl raped, smothered to death during Chhath Puja in UP’s Chandauli; body found buried in chaff

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A five-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh’s Chandauli district was found dead on Monday night, with police confirming that she had been raped and smothered to death.

The child’s body was discovered buried inside a mound of chaff near her house after an extensive search by her family and neighbours.

According to the police, the girl, who was the daughter of a daily wage labourer, went missing on Monday evening while her family was participating in Chhath Puja rituals.

Her uncle said that the children were playing nearby when she suddenly disappeared. “We searched the entire village till midnight but couldn’t find her. Later, when we saw her undergarments near a hut about 50 metres from the house, we called the police,” he was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.

The body was found inside a pile of chaff and had injury marks, police said on Wednesday.

“The autopsy report has confirmed sexual assault on the victim with injuries in her private parts and smothering as the cause of the death. We have got vital clues leading to the prime suspect who will be arrested soon,” DIG (Varanasi Range) Vaibhav Krishna was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.

As per the report, there are two suspects in the case.

In another disturbing case from Kanpur, a four-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped near her home in a village under the Ghatampur Kotwali area on Friday night (October 24). The child had been sleeping outside with her grandmother when she went missing. She was later discovered unconscious and badly injured inside a toilet located just outside the house.

The accused was caught by police during an encounter on Sunday night, within 48 hours of the crime. He suffered a bullet injury to his right leg and was taken to the Ghatampur Community Health Centre for treatment. A forensic team later visited the encounter site to gather evidence, while police recovered a pistol and several cartridges from the spot.