The child's hands and legs had been tied up
The body of a nine-year-old Indian girl was found in a drain near her home in Solai Nagar, Puducherry, having been raped by a group of youths beforehand.
Known only as Arthi, the girl had been missing since March 2, 2024.
Her parents had filed a missing persons’ complaint and police subsequently claimed a search was immediately launched.
But on March 5, Arthi’s body was found wrapped in a sheet inside a drain near her home.
The child’s hands and legs had been tied up and the body was showing signs of decomposition.
The body was taken to the mortuary at the Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Research Institute.
According to a police officer, a post-mortem will take place at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research on Wednesday.
Arthi was a Class 5 student in Solai Nagar.
Police said the Indian girl was spotted on only one CCTV camera on March 1 at around noon.
An officer said: “We also searched visuals from several cameras in Solai Nagar.
“There was no footage to show the girl went out of the area.”
Residents claimed the lack of inaction led to Arthi’s death and took to the streets to protest, causing a blockade that lasted two hours.
When officers were deployed to the protest site, residents became more agitated.
Seeing the personnel in riot gear and guns, the locals became angry and argued with the police. Tension prevailed for more than two hours in the area.
One resident said: “The police had claimed that they had combed the entire Solai Nagar area.
“Finally, the body was found next to her house. It is natural for us to protest.
“What is the necessity to deploy central forces? It shows the insensitivity of the force.”
It is reported that two suspects have been arrested, one aged 56 and another aged 19.
The matter has been discussed on social media, with #JusticeForArthi trending on X.
Reports have said that up to six youths had been under the influence of drugs when they abducted Arthi.
They then subjected her to a horrific rape, which resulted in her death.
Her body was then dumped in the drain.
Police are currently working to determine the cause of death and to arrest those responsible for such a heinous crime.
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