NEW DELHI: A four-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered by her 35-year-old uncle in north Delhi's Narela area.
The body was then dumped near a forest near Tikri village. The accused, whose identity has not been disclosed by the police, fled the city following the crime and was later apprehended in his native village in Uttar Pradesh.
The case was reported by the victim's mother on September 22, when she approached the police to lodge a complaint regarding her daughter's disappearance. Subsequently, the police registered a case of kidnapping and initiated an inquiry, which revealed that the girl was last seen with her uncle, who had been absconding.
A team was formed that traced the accused's location in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, where he was apprehended with the assistance of UP Police.
Interrogation of the accused revealed that he worked as a laborer and resided in a rented room in Tikri Kalan with his wife and two children.
"He had issues with his wife, as he did not want to live in Delhi and was insisting that she move back to their village in UP. However, his wife was reluctant, as she and their daughter were employed in a factory in Narela, with no job opportunities in the village," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) Ravi Kumar Singh said.
He added that the accused is a habitual drunkard and often remained under the influence of alcohol, leading to neglect from his family. The accused also had issues regarding his daughter visiting the rooms of her maternal uncle and grandmother, who lived in the same building.
"On that fateful day, he had an altercation with his wife and threatened her that if she did not come with him to the village, he would take the victim with him. Initially, the family thought he was speaking under the influence of alcohol and did not take him seriously," the DCP said.
The accused further disclosed that he murdered the child after sexually assaulting her and dumped her body near a water body in the open area of Tikri village.
"Following a vigorous search, the child's body was located in the jungle area," the officer said.