A seven-year-old girl was found murdered in a field in a village of Uttar Pradesh’s Etah district on Sunday. The child’s family has alleged she was raped before being killed.

Uttar Pradesh News: In a disturbing incident, the body of a seven-year-old girl was recovered from a mustard field on Sunday, day after she was reported missing by her family members in a village of Etah district of Uttar Pradesh. The deceased child’s family has alleged that she was raped before being murdered, a claim, police say, is being ascertained and can be verified after post-mortem report comes in.

According to the police, prima facie it appeared that the girl was strangled to death. The victim’s family has alleged that she was raped before being killed, they said.

“The girl had gone out around 12 pm to play with her friends. After she did not return for a long time, her family members approached the police,” said Senior Superintendent (SSP) Rajesh Kumar Singh, quoting details given by the family in their missing person complaint.

A missing complaint was lodged and a police team launched a hunt for the girl with the help of a dog squad, SSP said.

The senior officer said that at around 8:30 PM on Saturday, Kotwali Dehat Police Station received information that a 7-year-old girl had gone missing since 12 noon from her house in a village of the district.

Following the trail of the dogs, the police recovered the girl’s body from a mustard field located near the village on Sunday, he said.

Four teams have been formed to uncover the incident, the SSP said, adding that the girl’s body has been sent for post-mortem and the report will clarify if the victim had been raped before the brutal murder.

5-year-old killed celebratory firing in Banda

Meanwhile, in related news, a five-year-old boy was killed in a celebratory firing in the state’s Banda district, police said.

As per the police, the incident took place in Mataundh area of Banda district when the accused, Prateek Shukla, fired shots from a katta (country-made pistol) during a family function.

“A minor boy Shambhu Shukla who had gone to attend a family function was killed in a celebratory firing on Saturday evening,” said ASP Lakshmi Niwas Mishra.

ASP Mishra said the accused, Prateek, has been arrested and police have lodged an FIR against him under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Mataundh police station.

The officer said the body of the child has been sent for postmortem examination, adding that further investigation in the case is underway.

(With PTI inputs)