Malda : A decomposed body of a 13-year-old girl, who had been missing since Tuesday, was recovered from Kulik forest in Raiganj, North Dinajpur on Thursday.
Police, however said the investigation was underway and that they were awaiting the post-mortem report to ascertain the circumstances of her death. The girl’s family alleged she was sexually assaulted before being murdered, as her clothes were found torn.
The family was subsequently called to identify the remains and confirmed that it was the missing girl.
Police sources said some preliminary leads had emerged, but details were being withheld as the investigation continued. When she failed to return by evening, her family began looking for her among relatives and acquaintances. After their search yielded no results, they lodged a missing person’s diary at the local police station that night. On searching the area, they spotted the decomposed body and alerted the police. The victim’s father alleged that she had been raped before being killed, citing the condition of her clothes and body.
The girl, who had reportedly dropped out of school two years ago, had left her home in Bogram, under Raiganj police station on a bicycle on Tuesday afternoon to collect clothes from a self-help group worker. On Thursday afternoon, some locals passing through Kulik forest, around 3km from Raiganj town, noticed a foul smell emanating from the woods. Police recovered the body and sent it to Raiganj Medical College and Hospital, where a post-mortem examination was conducted on Thursday night in the presence of a magistrate.
An investigation has been launched, with six teams deployed to probe the case. Police are examining CCTV footage from Kulik forest and adjoining areas, while a dog squad has also been pressed into service. Investigators are additionally focusing on the Abdul Ghata Bandh area, where the girl was last traced. Her bicycle was recovered from a spot a short distance away from where the body was found.