5-year-old girl allegedly raped, murdered in Dehradun

“Based on the input, we also examined the CCTV cameras of the areas in which he was seen with the girl. Police soon nabbed him and questioned him... he broke down and confessed to the crime,” said police

A neighbour allegedly raped and murdered a five-year-old girl in Dehradun on Wednesday night, police said. Ritesh Shah, a local police officer and one of the investigators, said the accused, Chunmun Mahato, 25, who is from Bihar and worked as a labourer in Dehradun, knew the girl.

Representational Image. (File photo)

“Usually, the girl would go out in the morning to play. On Tuesday also, she went out to play but did not return home till evening...her mother and brother lodged a missing complaint... on Tuesday night. A case was registered, and police started searching her,” he said. He added they soon found the girl was last seen with Mahato. “Based on the input, we also examined the CCTV cameras of the areas in which he was seen with the girl. Police soon nabbed him and questioned him... he broke down and confessed to the crime.”

Shah said Mahato later led them to an area full of bushes where he dumped her body. He added the accused was arrested on Wednesday and he was due to be presented before a court on Thursday.

Shah said the girl’s mother works as a housemaid while her father, a labourer, was away in Chandigarh when the five-year-old went missing.