Man arrested for murder,rape of 5-year-old in Bawana

A 5-year-old girl was kidnapped, raped, and murdered near her home in Delhi. The alleged perpetrator was arrested in Kolkata after hiding the body in a factory.

A five-year-old girl was kidnapped, raped and brutally murdered near her home in Bawana in outer Delhi on Sunday, the Delhi Police said on Thursday, after they tracked down the alleged perpetrator to Kolkata days after the crime.

Police said the girl was attacked with a blade and bricks and her body was hidden inside an abandoned factory. (Representational image)

Police said the girl was attacked with a blade and bricks and her body was hidden inside an abandoned factory nearby.It was found after the alleged accused, identified as 27-year-old Totan Lohar, was arrested. The accused has been booked for murder and rape under the Indian Penal Code and Pocso Act.

According to police, the girl lived with her parents in Bawana in a rented house. On Sunday, she was playing in the area with other kids while her parents were working. Police said her parents ran a tea stall in the vicinity that was frequented by Lohar.

Around 5pm, she was seen leaving the house and was later reported missing by her parents. “We received a call on Sunday night around 11pm from the parents who suspected that their daughter was kidnapped. We took their statements and lodged a case of kidnapping,” said DCP (outer north) Ravi Kumar Singh.

Police analysed all CCTVs in the Bawana Industrial Area and spotted the minor. “A man was seen walking alongside the minor. The minor was identified by her parents because of her clothes. The accused was also identified as a local factory worker,” a senior police officer aware of the case said.

DCP Singh added that Lohar was not found at his rented accommodation and his friends (other factory workers) had no idea about his whereabouts, after which police declared him absconding. During the investigation, locals and informers said that the accused could have fled to his home town in West Bengal via Poorva Express.

“A team was sent for inquiry. It was found that the accused had left Delhi. We also worked with the Railway Police” the DCP said.

“The staff boarded a train to Asansol railway station and deboarded to wait for the Poorva Express. When the train arrived, the team boarded it and found the accused within a few minutes” said the officer.

Police said Lohar was arrested and brought back to Delhi on Wednesday morning. During interrogation, police said he confessed to rape and murder.

“He said he targeted the girl when nobody was around. He offered her food and took her to a factory nearby where he raped her. Since her parents knew him, Lohar thought she would tell her parents so he murdered her. He knew the factory was shut and nobody would find the body there,” added the officer.