Missing four-year-old girl found drowned in north-west Delhi drain

A four-year-old girl, who had been missing from her home for three days, was found drowned in a drain in northwest Delhi’s Vidyapati Nagar on Monday

A four-year-old girl, who had been missing from her home for three days, was found drowned in a drain in northwest Delhi’s Vidyapati Nagar on Monday. Police are questioning the child’s family members and neighbours to ascertain whether she was murdered or drowned accidentally.

Police are questioning the child’s family members and neighbours to ascertain whether she was murdered or drowned accidentally. (Representational image)

Detailing the case, police said that on Friday afternoon, a missing person complaint was filed by the girl’s mother at Prem Nagar police station in Rohini, stating that her four-year-old daughter had been missing since morning and may have been kidnapped.

An FIR was registered and an investigation was launched. During the course of the probe, several teams were deployed to trace the girl.

DCP (Rohini) Rajeev Ranjan said, “The information about the girl was circulated to all concerned agencies, and we took up technical surveillance. We also used a sniffer dog squad for leads. When we were still unable to trace her, we deployed drones and cameras to search water bodies and drains in and around Rohini. It was suspected that she could have fallen into a water body.”

Police said that on Monday, after an intensive search involving drones, policemen and divers, a body was found in a drain near Dhruv Picket in Vidyapati Nagar.

“The body was immediately retrieved and the parents of the minor, who were present at the spot, identified it as their daughter. No visible injury marks were found on the body. It was shifted to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital for further legal proceedings,” the DCP said.

Police said they are awaiting the autopsy report. “We cannot say what exactly happened until the reports come in. Prima facie, it appears to be a case of drowning. However, it is not clear whether she was deliberately pushed into the drain or fell in on her own. We are now trying to retrieve CCTV footage from the last three days from cameras near the drain,” Ranjan said.

Police have also sought the assistance of the mobile crime team and a forensic team to inspect the spot. Certain samples have been collected and are being examined.

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