Hazaribagh, March 25 (IANS) In a gruesome incident, an 11-year-old girl in the Vishnugarh police station area of Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district was murdered. The incident has sent shockwaves across the entire area following the gruesome crime.

It is suspected that the accused first sexually assaulted her and then brutally killed her by crushing her with a stone and strangling her in an attempt to destroy evidence.

On Wednesday, the mutilated body of the girl was found near a bamboo grove, about 500 metres away from the village, triggering outrage among local residents. Upon receiving the information, Vishnugarh police reached the spot, took the body into custody, and sent it for post-mortem examination.

On Tuesday evening, a Mangla procession was taken out in the village on the occasion of the Ram Navami festival. The girl had also gone to watch the procession, but when she did not return home till around 8 p.m., her family began searching for her. Despite an overnight search in the village and nearby areas, no trace of her was found.

On Wednesday, when villagers went out to collect mahua, they spotted the child’s body near the bushes. The condition of the body was so horrific that her face had been badly crushed with a heavy stone. Based on the condition of the body, villagers have suspected that she was raped before being murdered. Considering the sensitivity of the incident, police called in a dog squad and a forensic team to collect scientific evidence from the spot.

The incident has left the village in mourning and tension. The cries of the family members have made the atmosphere grief-stricken, while locals are demanding the immediate arrest of the culprits. Vishnugarh police station in-charge Sapan Kumar Mahto said that the police are probing the case from all angles and have detained some suspects for questioning.

He assured that the accused would be identified soon and strict legal action would be taken against them. The police have also appealed to people to maintain peace and not pay attention to rumours.

–IANS

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