Four-year-old girl raped, killed in Mahim

Mumbai: The Mahim police has begun investigating the case of an alleged sexual assault and murder of a four-year-old girl. The body of the girl was found in shrubbery outside a residential society in Mahim on Thursday morning.

The police stated that the victim belongs to a pavement dweller family and resided outside the Razzak Manzil building in Mahim. On Thursday, when the victim’s mother woke up at 4 am, she found that the victim was not sleeping beside her. She then alerted her husband and they searched for the kid. Later, they approached the police and registered a complaint with the Mahim police at around 7.30 am.

According to the police, they received a call at 9.30 am that body of a minor girl was found in some shrubbery outside a residential building near the family’s residence.

The police team rushed to the spot and found the girl in a semi-nude state. The victim was immediately taken to the Sion Hospital, where she was declared dead on arrival.

The parents later identified her at the morgue. On enquiring the building residents, security guard and locals in the area, it was found that a man was carrying the girl late at night. The medical examination revealed that the victim had been sexually assaulted before being killed.

“The CCTV camera footage of a furniture outlet in the area showed that a man was carrying the victim at around 3.30 am. We are trying to identify and apprehend the suspect. We are picking other pavement dwellers and repeat offenders with a history of child abuse,” the officer said.

The police has registered offence of kidnapping, murder and sexual assault under the Indian Penal Code. The case has also been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.