Man caught sleeping next to body of 5-year-old girl, booked for trespassing

The girl’s father in his police complaint said his daughter died of an ailment on Wednesday after which he buried her body in a graveyard at Varanasi’s Rewari Talab.

Police have booked a man who allegedly trespassed on a graveyard and exhumed the body of a five-year-old girl, in Varanasi. He was found sleeping next to the body by the girl’s father, police said, adding they were investigating if he sexually assaulted the body.

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The minor girl’s father, a resident of Dashashwamedh area in the city, in his police complaint said his daughter died of an ailment on Wednesday after which he buried her body in a graveyard at Varanasi’s Rewari Talab.

A day later, he became suspicious when he went to her grave. As such, he decided to have the grave dug up but found the body to be missing, police said on Saturday.

A police officer said the accused, Mohammad Rafeeq, 30, was found to be sleeping next to the body while in an inebriated state. Rafeeq was arrested and booked under the section 297 (trespassing on burial places) of the Indian Penal Code, said deputy commissioner of police (Kashi) RS Gautam.

In the post-mortem report, which was conducted by a panel of three doctors, including a woman doctor, a suspicion of sexual assault on the body of the girl was raised. The panel then suggested DNA profiling (test) of the accused, police said.

The DC said an application would be filed in court to request for DNA sample collection from the accused for the purpose of the test.