X user’s post leads police to minor girl’s body; post-mortem reveals rape, strangulation

Police said the viscera has been preserved to test for toxic elements as the autopsy report also indicated that the minor was possibly drugged as well.

According to investigators, the girl’s parents claimed that she died of natural causes. A police officer, who did not wish to be named, said that the girl’s father told them that she had been suffering from acute stomach ache, which might have caused her death. The family initially refused to hand over the body for post-mortem but relented later.

The police action in this regard came after an X handle flagged the matter on the platform on Saturday night, tagging the UP Police and some news outlets. “Sir, I request you that today in…Bareilly district, a…girl was killed and thrown in the house whose parents were not present at home,” it said. The post, which shared the names of the girl’s parents and the location of their house, added, “Sir, I request you to take cognizance of this matter.”

Within minutes, the Bareilly Police responded from its official X handle, promising to investigate.

The police said that the girl’s parents have been living in a house in Bareilly for the past two years. “The deceased was not enrolled in any school and would remain at home with her brother, also a minor, when her parents went to work,” the officer in charge of the local police station said.

“The parents had gone out to meet some relatives on Saturday and two children were left at home. The brother had gone to the market, leaving the girl alone at home. When he returned, he found her dead in a room,” the officer added.

The police said that after the autopsy, the family departed for their native place to conduct the girl’s last rites. “The parents have not lodged a complaint at the local police station so far. Our investigation is continuing and we hope to arrest the culprit soon,” said an officer associated with the probe.

“We will lodge an FIR on our own if they do not give a complaint,” SSP Arya said. The Bareilly police are, meanwhile, trying to trace the person who posted about the murder on X.