2-day search ends in tragedy: 5-year-old’s body found in water tank, neighbour held for ‘rape, murder’ in Bhopal

The girl had gone missing from the flat her family lived in on Tuesday, when a fumigation operation was underway at the multi-storey building.

Police then launched a massive search operation with officers from five police stations, alongside dog squads and drones. The search spanned 1,000 flats in the apartment complex, but no sign of her was found until Thursday, when police found the girl’s body wrapped in some clothes and concealed inside a water tank.

A Special Investigation Team will be formed to handle the case, police said.

“Today, the body was found and three accused were arrested. For the investigation, an SIT has been formed, which will ensure that the accused is given severe punishment,” Bhopal Police Commissioner Harinarayan Chari Mishra said.

“The accused was the neighbour of the victim and knew her. On the day of the incident, the accused called her and since the child knew him, she went to him. We think that the accused committed rape on the child and then murdered her. We have also booked the mother and sister of the accused since they played a role in hiding the truth,” Mishra said.

The accused had allegedly fled the house after the incident, but was caught by the Crime Branch team. He had previously served jail time for harassing women, and has a total of six criminal cases registered against him, police said.

An officer said that during questioning, the accused allegedly confessed to killing the minor and hiding the body.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said his government would try to make sure the culprits get the “harshest punishment”.

“People with such a corrupt mindset cannot have any place in society… There is a provision of death penalty for such heinous crimes and our government will try to ensure that such criminals get the harshest punishment like death penalty. The government is committed to providing speedy justice in all such cases in the state through fast track courts,” he said.

The case has sparked widespread anger and unrest in Bhopal, with residents blocking roads in protest, and voicing their frustration over alleged inadequacies of the police response. The Opposition, Congress, also joined in the protests, calling for accountability and action.

Congress state president Jitu Patwari said, “The BJP has made Madhya Pradesh worse than hell for our daughters. At some places, heinous crimes are being committed against our girls; at other places, murders are taking place in broad daylight. An innocent daughter of Bhopal, who was missing for three days, has unfortunately been found dead in a water tank today. If the state capital itself is not safe, then how can daughters in other places go out without any worry?”