Girl, 6, Kidnapped, Then Bludgeoned To Death By Distant Relative In Delhi, Accused Arrested

Delhi: A 6-year-old was allegedly murdered after being kidnapped from the Sarai Kale Khan Area of Delhi, police said. The girl's body was recovered by police teams on Tuesday.

Police have arrested a 23-year-old, Manoj Lugun, in connection with the case. The accused was found to be a distant relative, as well as a neighbour of the victim.

According to preliminary information, the child's parents lodged a complaint with at the nearest police station after she went missing since around 3 pm, on Thursday (February 19).

During the course of the investigation, police examined the CCTV footage of the vicinity, and discovered that she was last seen with Lugun who is a resident of the same neighbourhood. It was also noted that he was also present at the time of filing the missing report with the girl's parents, in a possible attempt to mislead the police.

After conducting preliminary interrogation, police suspected Lugun, and detained him for further questioning. Although he gave false statements initially, he later confessed to the crime when confronted by the police personnel with CCTV evidence.

In his statement, Lugun revealed that he had lured the child to a location near the Shanti Stupa, behind the IP park on the day she went missing, and then killed her by hitting her on the head with a piece of brick. The severity of the injury led to her death, post mortem report revealed.

The accused also admitted that he tried to destroy all evidence by throwing the dead body into a nearby well. Following his confession, an State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team rushed to the spot promptly. The girl's body was discovered soon after.

A case has been registered against the accused under section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Although sexual abuse has been ruled out in the case after forensic teams examined the body, the exact motive behind the gruesome killing of the child is yet to be ascertained. Further details are awaited as investigation remains underway, police said.

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