Missing five-year-old girl found raped, strangled in Mahim

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A five-year-old girl, who stayed on the footpath with her parents was found dead at Mahim, on Thursday morning. According to preliminary investigations by Mumbai police, she was abducted while asleep near her parents, raped and strangulated. A case has been filed at Mahim police station against unknown persons. Considering the sensitivity of the matter, a team comprising officers from eight police stations, has been formed to find the culprit.

A daily wage worker who stays with his wife and four kids, woke up at 5.30 am on Thursday, and noticed his five-year-old daughter was missing. After two hours of looking for her, he and his wife went to Mahim police.

Around 8.30 am a call was received by the Mumbai Police Control Room, about a naked girl found behind a furniture showroom at Lady Jamshedji Marg. The Mahim police found the girl with strangulation marks on her neck. She was taken to the Bhabha Hospital, Bandra, where she was declared dead on arrival. Her parents identified her. "The place where the girl was found is just across the road, about 100 mts from where they slept. Around 3am a man was spotted walking towards the road where she was found. A morning walker spotted her," said a police officer.

DCP (Zone 5) Vikram Deshmane said, "Initially when her parents approached us, we had filed a case under IPC section 363 (kidnapping). But after finding the dead body and the preliminary report given by the hospital we have added sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act." Officers from Mahim, Shivaji Park, Matunga, Sion, Wadala TT, Bhoiwada, Worli, NM Joshi police stations are involved in the investigation.

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