The Aryavarth Express
Bhopal: A five-year-old girl, who went missing from her home two days ago, was found dead, and her body was recovered from a water tank at a neighbour’s house in Madhya Pradesh’s capital, Bhopal, a police officer said on Thursday.
The minor went missing from her house situated in the Shahjahanabad locality, Bhopal, on Tuesday afternoon. The child’s parents were not at home when she disappeared. She was with her grandmother and told her that she was going to retrieve a book from a friend’s house but did not return.
Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) Punit Upadhyay said, “A minor was missing from her home for over 36 hours technically, and her body was recovered from a house located in front of her home on Thursday. The body was found in a water tank, and it has been sent for postmortem further examination, and further details will be shared after the PM report.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the girl’s mother said, “At around 12 pm on Tuesday, my daughter told her grandmother she was going to collect a book from her friend’s house and would be back shortly. Since then, she hasn’t returned. When my husband and I arrived home and realised she was missing, we immediately began searching the surrounding areas but found no trace of her.”
“Over 24 hours have passed, yet no action has been taken by the authorities. Municipal corporation vehicles had arrived for fogging in the area, and during this time, she went missing. All I want is my daughter back as soon as possible,” she added.
Earlier, Shahjahanabad police station in-charge, UPS Chauhan, told “The parents of the child came to Shahjahanabad police station, reporting their daughter had gone missing. They said their five-year-old daughter had gone to an Anganwadi Centre and returned home.
She then stepped out again to collect a book from downstairs but didn’t return. During this time, a vehicle from the Municipal Corporation’s malaria team also arrived for fogging, and after completing their task, the vehicle left.”
“Acting on the complaint and recognising the seriousness of the situation, we alerted officials at other police stations. CCTV footage from nearby locations showed the child returning home and then leaving again to collect the book, after which she went missing,” he said.
Based on the parents’ statements, an FIR was registered, and efforts were underway to locate the girl. The police also questioned the fogging team and inspected their vehicle. A forensic examination of the vehicle was conducted, but no evidence was found, Chauhan said.
