Kanpur (UP) Nov 15 (PTI) A six-year-old girl, who had gone missing on Diwali night, was found killed in a jungle near her house in Ghatampur area on Sunday morning, police said.
The police, which earlier suspected that the child was killed by some people practising black magic , later, after the arrest of two youths, said she was killed by the duo for resisting their attempt to outrage her modesty.
"Two youths have been arrested in this connection. These youths, who are her neighbours, had tried to outrage her modesty, but when she resisted, they tied her hands and killed her," said Kanpur's Deputy IG Preetinder Singh.
Singh had said earlier that forensic experts and sniffer dogs were also pressed in to gather scientific evidence to confirm if the girl was killed in any 'tantra-mantra' (black magic) act.
"The body has been sent for the post-mortem. Doctors have also been asked to explore if the girl was murdered in any black magic act," the DIG had said.
The girl had gone missing on Saturday evening while her family was preparing for Diwali prayers.
The family tried to search her in neighbouring areas, including the nearby jungle using flashlights, but had failed to locate her during the night, said Singh.
The girl's body was found on Sunday morning in the jungle itself by some villagers passing through it, the DIG said.
The injury marks on the upper parts of the body suggested she was killed with some sharp-edged weapon, said another senior official.
The girl's belongings, including slippers and clothes, were also found lying near a tree.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, meanwhile, taking note of the heinous crime, directed officials to take strict action against the accused.
Expressing his condolences for the aggrieved family, the chief minister also directed officials to give a financial help of Rs 5 lakh to the victim's family.
The state government will get the matter heard in a fast track court so that the accused are punished at the earliest, the UP Government said in a statement.
