6-year-old girl found dead after being kidnapped in Gujarat’s Valsad district

The police, who suspect the girl was raped, are on the lookout for the accused who was seen taking the girl with him by holding her hand.

The girl’s body was found at 1.30 am in a bushy area near a creek after a search operation that involved more than 500 people, including locals and police officials. (Representational)

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A six-year-old girl in Gujarat’s Valsad district was found dead early on Tuesday morning, hours after she was kidnapped after being lured by a man who offered her chocolate, the police said, adding that they suspect she was raped.

According to the Valsad police, on Monday afternoon, the girl informed her mother and left her house to meet her grandfather who works as a security guard in a nearby factory. After spending time with him, she left the factory. After she failed to return home, the girl’s mother inquired with her father and realised that it had been a while since she had left the factory. She began looking for her daughter, along with other locals.

On Monday evening, the family approached the Valsad police. “The police found CCTV footage of the accused taking the girl with him, holding her hand. The search operation continued till late in the night and even people involved in garba events joined the operation,” Valsad Superintendent of Police Karanraj Vaghela said.

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The girl’s body was found at 1.30 am in a bushy area near a creek after a search operation that involved more than 500 people, including locals and police officials. A kidnapping and murder case was lodged against an unknown person.

“At present, we suspect that the victim was raped and we are waiting for the Surat New Civil Hospital doctors’ report for confirmation,” SP Vaghela further said.

According to the police, the girl stayed in a labour colony where migrant workers from UP, Bihar and Jharkhand stayed. She came to Valsad around a month ago along with her mother from south Delhi following her father’s death. Her grandfather hails from Uttar Pradesh, the police said.

“We have got CCTV footage of the accused who we assume is around 40 years old. Our teams are on the hunt for the accused who had come to stay in the area near the girl’s house around a couple of months ago,” SP Vaghela added.

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