Chhattisgarh shocker: Missing 7-year-old girl raped, murdered in Korba; sniffer dog helps police arrest suspect
New Delhi: A seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered in Chhattisgarh’s Korba district after going missing on October 19. Police recovered her body from bushes behind a poultry farm on Thursday with a sniffer dog helping investigators trace the suspect to a house in the Ravanbhatha locality.
The accused, identified as Ajay alias Amit Chauhan, was arrested by police. Additional Superintendent of Police, Korba, Lakhan Patle, said the investigation was underway.
Girl went missing while going to shop
According to police, the girl left her home on October 19 to buy something from a grocery shop but did not return. Her father subsequently approached the police and filed a missing person complaint.
The family had moved to Rajgamar from Sakti district around four months ago. The girl’s father works at a poultry farm in the area. On Thursday, police received information that a child’s body had been found in bushes behind the farm near the Rajgamar police chowki area. A team of police officers, forensic personnel and sniffer dog handlers reached the spot and began examining the scene.
Sniffer dog leads police to suspect
During the investigation, a sniffer dog led the police team to a house in Ravanbhatha where the suspect was detained. Chauhan reportedly belongs to Devmati Para, located around 60 km from Rajgamar.
According to ASP Lakhan Patle, Chauhan told investigators that he had arrived in Ravanbhatha on Monday to meet a woman whom he claimed was his second wife.
Patle said the accused allegedly spotted the girl, took her into the bushes and sexually assaulted and murdered her before fleeing the scene. These details form part of the police investigation.
Case registered under relevant laws
Police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The recovery of the girl’s body came three days after she was reported missing. Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances of the crime and gather evidence. The accused has been arrested and further investigation is underway to establish the sequence of events and complete the legal process.