Madhya Pradesh: A six-month-old girl was allegedly kidnapped, raped and murdered in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore early on Friday, according to reports. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said the accused has been arrested and a probe is underway into the case.
The incident came to light when the blood-soaked body of the infant was found in the basement of a building in Rajwada area. The post-mortem, which was conducted at state-run MY Hospital, suggested the girl might have been raped before being murdered as her private part bore an injury mark.
Police said the accused, later identified as Sunil Bheel (21), was seen carrying the infant on his shoulder on CCTV footage. “The body of the infant was recovered from the basement of a commercial building in Rajwada area. The accused, Sunil Bheel, had kidnapped her in the morning when she was asleep with her parents outside the Rajwada Fort. The accused was sleeping close to the family,” HC Mishra, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Indore, said, adding that Bheel was known to the family.
“The accused is seen carrying the infant in CCTV images at around 4:45 am. He then took her to the basement of the building, some 50 metres away from where the family was sleeping. Her body was recovered later in the afternoon,” Mishra said.
The DIG also said it appeared as though the accused threw the baby on the ground after committing the crime. “The infant had an injury on her head. The accused probably threw her to the ground. However, only the post-mortem report will verify if she died due to this or whether she was smothered,” Mishra said. He added that Bheel would be arrested soon.
Condemning the incident, Chauhan said, “The rape incident in Indore has shook my soul, such a heinous act with a small child! There is a need for our society to look within itself. The accused has already been arrested and we will ensure that he gets punished for his crime as soon as possible.”