New Delhi: A three-and-a-half-year-old girl was allegedly raped and killed after being taken away from her neighbourhood in an area under the jurisdiction of Sector 37 police station in Gurgaon. The incident came to light in the early hours of Thursday, police officials said.
According to the police, information about the child’s disappearance was received around 12.20 am on February 20. Soon after, the family approached the police and filed a complaint alleging that a man living nearby had enticed their daughter and taken her away, Times of India reported.
Complaint and initial action
Based on the father’s complaint, a case was registered under relevant sections at Police Station Sector 37, Gurgaon. Police teams immediately began a search operation and picked up the suspect the same night for questioning. The family had told the police that their daughter was last seen with a neighbour, raising suspicion against him.
Confession during interrogation
Police spokesperson Sandeep Turan said the accused admitted to the crime during interrogation.
“Acting on the complaint, the Sector-37 police team took the suspect into custody the same night and interrogated him. During questioning, the man disclosed that he works in a scrap factory in Sector-37 and that on the late evening of February 19 he took the child to an empty place and raped her and then strangled her to death to destroy evidence”, Sandeep Turan, police spokesperson said.
Police said the child’s body was later recovered based on the information provided by the accused.
Accused identified
The arrested man has been identified as Shivnath, 25, a native of Bihar. He has been formally arrested and further investigation is underway, officials said.