Days after 9-year-old girl goes missing in Delhi, man arrested for her rape-murder

The Delhi Police said they have roped in multiple divers to search for the girl’s body after the accused said he dumped her in a canal.

The police is checking the route the accused took on the day of the crime. (File photo)

Days after a nine-year-old girl went missing from her home, the Delhi Police have said that she was allegedly abducted, raped and murdered by a man living nearby.

The accused, identified as Sanjeev Rana, 52, was arrested on Sunday. The police said they have roped in multiple divers to search for the body after the man said he dumped her in a canal.

According to officers, they received a call from the child’s family about her disappearance on December 12. Her parents work as labourers in a factory and live in rented accommodation.

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Ravi Kumar Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer North) said the girl was last seen near her home around 2 pm. “She took a lift from a local resident and was seen with him. We identified the person and found that he was admitted to a hospital. He told the doctors that he suffered injuries during a road accident,” the DCP said.

On Sunday, the police said they went to the hospital again and questioned Rana. He allegedly confessed to the crime. “He told us he abducted the girl and killed her on December 12. He claimed to have dumped the body in a canal. We have been trying to retrieve it. We are checking the route he took on the day of the crime,” the DCP added.

The accused has been booked on charges pertaining to murder, kidnapping and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

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